LIBRARY    OF   TH  K 


University  of  California. 


I  TIXG     BRANCH. 

LIBRARY 
n 

<n  «»-w6eW:  or  a  week  before  the  end  of  .the  term. 


OF 


AN  OLD  PEAB-TBEE, 


THE   POPULATION 


OF 


AN    OLD    PEAE-TEEE; 


OR, 


Stories  of  Insect  fife. 


PROM   THE   FRENCH    OF 

E.    VAN    BRUYSSEL. 

V- 


EDITED   BY 

THE   AUTHOR    OF    "THE    HEIR    OF   REDCLYFFE." 


WITH 

NUMEROUS  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY   BECKER. 


AND    CO. 

63,  BLEECKER  STREET, 

1870. 
[The    Riald  of  Translation  and  Reproduction  is  reserved] 


LONDON    : 

R.    CLAY,    SONS,    AND  TAYLOR,    PRINTERS; 
BREAD   STREET   HILL. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

PAGK 

INTRODUCTION     .  1 


CHAPTER    II. 

GRAPHIC    SKETCHES 18 

CHAPTER    III. 

A   TRAGEDY    IN    THE    GRASS 33 

CHAPTER    IV. 

SUBTERRANEAN    CITIES 49 

CHAPTER    V. 

AN   EXCURSION    INTO    THE   HYMENOPTEROUS   WORLD        .       .       .       G8 

CHAPTER    VI. 

WANDERING    TRIBES  90 


riii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    VII. 

PAOK 

NOTES   OF    THE   TRAVELS   OF   A    CENTIPEDE 105 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

SOLITARY    BEES 119 

CHAPTER    IX. 

DIGGERS 136 

CHAPTER    X. 

STILT    WALKERS 152 

CHAPTER    XI. 

FUOM   THE   MEADOW   TO   THE   WILDERNESS      .       .       .       .       .       .       167 

CHAPTER    XII. 

A    VINDICATION 183 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE   OBSEQUIES    OF   A   FIELD    MOUSE   ........       198 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

CONCLUSION  213 


THE 


POPULATION  OF  AN  OLD  PEAR-TREE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

INTRODUCTION. 

WHEN  certain  blue  spirits  begin  .to  flit 
about  me,  I  depart  from  my  study  to  go  and 
read,  in  what  I  am  allowed,  even  by  my  clerical 
uncle,  to  call  my  book  of  devotions. 

The  devotions  I  mean  are  not  in  my  book- 
case. No  publisher,  if  he  ever  thought  of  such 
a  thing,  could  bring  them  out.  They  are  a  page 
of  the  book  of  Nature,  opened  in  the  country, 
under  blue  sky,  displayed  at  all  seasons.  Every 

B 


2  INTRODUCTION. 

one  has  looked  at  that  book,  but  few  of  us  under- 
stand it  in  any  degree,  and  the  man  who  could 
read  it  all  would  be  the  wisest  in  the  world. 

In  short,  my  book  is  a  meadow  lying  not 
far  from  the  town  where  I  was  born.  A 
substantial  farmer  gets  two  crops  of  hay  off  it, 
and  is  well  satisfied. 

I  go  there  to  do  nothing,  and  am  still  better 
satisfied,  and  we  are  not  at  all  in  each  other's 
way. 

No  traveller  in  search  of  scenery  has  ever 
found  so  fair  a  spot  as  my  meadow.  Set  within 
a  frame  of  beautiful  hills,  it  is  like  a  great 
amphitheatre,  the  only  entrance  being  a  narrow 
cleft  with  a  brook  at  the  bottom.  It  is  entirely 
enclosed  by  a  verdant  screen  of  ambitious  shrubs. 
Unnumbered  generations  of  primroses,  periwinkles, 
violets,  and  lilies  of  the  valley  grow  on  the 
slopes.  Birds  make  their  nests  there,  twittering 
and  singing  at  the  top  of  their  voices ;  one 
insect  chases  another  from  flower  to  flower  like 
fantastic  sylphs;  thence  the  bee  draws  her  honey, 


INTRODUCTION.  3 

there  the  hare  makes  her  form ;  my  meadow  is 
all  jubilant  with  song,  colour,  and  light.  Now  I 
will  tell  you  how  I  was  admitted  into  its  secrets. 

One  day  I  went  out  with  heavy  head,  restless 
eye,  and  gloomy  temper.  I  walked  straight  on, 
like  a  crane  or  a  bittern,  without  pausing  at  the 
wayside  attractions.  Such  demeanour,  absurd  afc 
it  is,  generally  indicates  some  mental  disquiet. 
The  happy  man,  provided  he  be  taken  up  with 
other  thoughts,  moves  in  curves  or  zigzags,  nearer 
and  farther,  backwards  and  forwards,  in  no  haste 
to  be  at  his  journey's  end.  I  had,  however,  no 
reason  to  complain  that  I  had  trusted  to  the 
guidance  of  my  star.  Chance,  the  odours  of 
spring,  and  a  fortunate  instinct,  conducted  me 
on  that  day  to  a  splendid  discovery. 

All  at  once  I  found  before  me  a  vast  lawn 
clothed  in  green  velvet,  with  gold  and  silver 
enamel.  Some  old  trees  stretched  out  into  the 
sunshine ;  stunted  and  knotty,  they  waved  in  the 
breeze  their  long  limbs  all  covered  with  infant 
fruits. 

B  2 


4  INTRODUCTION. 

At  sight  of  them  the  frown  left  my  brow, 
and  I  began  to  improve.  I  relaxed  my  hurried 
pace  ;  I  began  by  sitting  down,  and  at  last  lay 
down  at  full  length  on  the  grass.  I  like  that 
posture,  for  it  disposes  one  to  contemplation. 

I  cried,  "  Oh  how  good  it  is  to  see  no  more 
houses,  streets,  or  squares !  How  I  enjoy  this 
sweet  solitude,  full  of  love  and  peace,  gaining 
new  charms  from  each  dawning  day ! " 

With  this,  my  thoughts  wandering  in  a  thou- 
sand visions,  the  characters  of  past,  present,  and 
future,  I  soon  came  to  dream  that  I  was  dreaming  ; 
then  softly,  without  effort,  slipping  from  one 
breath  to  another,  I  slept  the  sleep  of  the  just. 

Gradually  I  became,  as  it  were,  lulled  and 
benumbed  by  dreamy  sensations ;  but  I  was 
startled  out  of  this  happy  condition  by  angry 
howls,  uncertain  cries,  and  passionate  exclama- 
tions resounding  close  to  me.  One  voice  mur- 
mured : 

"  Oh,  what  pain  I  am  in !  bruised  all  over, 
and  my  wing  dreadfully  crumpled !  If  I  only 


INTRODUCTION. 


6  INTRODUCTION. 

could  get  it  out !  But  no,  he  will  not  move,  and 
I  am  kept  prisoner  by  a  bent  stalk." 

Others  cried,  "  Prick  him,  bite  him,  tear  him 
with  your  sharp  claws  :  he  is  a  hideous  arid 
disgusting  monster ;  he  cannot  take  a  single 
step  without  committing  a  crime ;  his  path  is 
strewed  with  the  dead  and  dying/' 

I  immediately  felt  a  strange  tingling  in  all 
my  limbs,  but  it  was  too  slight  to  wake  me 
entirely.  It  seemed  as  if  all  the  pores  of  my 
skin  were  being  furnished  with  wondrously  sharp 
and  piercing  eyes.  All  my  senses  at  once  be- 
came marvellously  acute.  The  hum  of  a  gnat 
seemed  like  the  sound  of  a  trumpet,  and  the  per- 
'fume  of  lilies  of  the  valley,  wafted  on  the  breeze, 
was  strong  enough  to  intoxicate  my  senses. 

"  Is  this,"  I  thought,  "  the  beginning  of  another 
life,  and  have  I  died  without  finding  it  out  1 
After  all,  why  should  I  be  surprised  1  Did  I 
make  a  note  of  my  natal  hour,  the  fleeting  moment 
when  I  inhaled  my  first  breath  ?  Dead  or  alive, 
I  will  be  all  ears  and  eyes." 


INTRODUCTION.  ,          7 

I  now  saw  the  face  of  nature  under  a  quite 
novel  aspect,  from  the  point  of  view  of  the 
smallest  members  of  creation.  Instead  of  re- 
clining on  a  carpet  of  greensward,  I  found  I 
was  in  an  immense  tangled  forest  made  up  of 
giant  grasses,  whose  long  streamers  waving  in  the 
air  were  composed  of  a  splendid  tissue  of  green 
and  gold  spangled  with  crystal  spikes.  The  most 
humble  flowers  appeared  to  me  to  be  magnificent 
plants  of  unusual  splendour.  The  very  daisy 
close  beside  me  had  acquired  a  majestic  grace, 
and  the  stalk  surprised  me  by  its  dimensions. 
This  stem  was  of  a  tender  green  colour  and 
clothed  with  long  glassy  hairs,  growing  more  close 
together  at  the  top,  forming  fasces  around 
the  flowery  crown.  Among  the  pretty  white 
petals  so  often  used  by  young  girls  in  divining 
their  fortunes,  where  I  had  never  before  seen 
anything  but  the  golden  heart,  I  now  perceived 
a  great  nosegay  of  yellow  blossoms  interspersed 
with  little  transparent  balls,  and  perfectly  regular. 
This  is  no  exaggeration ;  I  really  saw  what  I 


g  INTRODUCTION. 

describe,  remembering  all  the  time  that  it  is  hard 
to  believe. 

The  very  ground  was  changed  wherever  it  was 
not  covered  with  grass.  The  whole  surface  shone 
with  precious  stones.  Every  grain  of  sand,  spark- 
ling with  many  colours,  and  darting  a  thousand 
fires,  was  worthy  to  be  set  in  a  sovereign's  ring. 

I  remembered  that  I  had  lain  down  at  the 
foot  of  a  pear-tree,  just  bursting  into  leaf  with 
the  warm  breath  of  spring,  though  much  injured 
by  the  winter's  cold.  I  saw  it  again,  but  so 
wonderfully  enlarged,  that  I  really  could  not  take 
it  all  in  at  once.  Its  bark  had  quite  disappeared, 
giving  place  to  a  rich  carpet  of  white,  green,  or 
yellow  moss,  in  the  most  whimsical  patterns.  At 
times  this  verdant  veil  was  raised  by  certain  flat, 
bald  heads,  with  great  glaring  round  eyes,  and 
bearing  powerful  hooks  instead  of  jaws,  which 
took  a  curious  survey  of  me.  For  an  instant  I 
feared  I  should  be  eaten  up,  and  then  returned 
to  my  mind  a  picture  of  Breughel's,  of  the  in- 
fernal regions,  in  which  the  demons  are  drawn 


INTRODUCTION. 


10  INTRODUCTION. 

with  cloven  feet  and  large  stomachs,  grinning, 
leaping,  and  dancing,  and  with  a  human  form 
struggling  among  them.  Eeally  I  did  deserve  a 
chastisement  for  my  intrusion  into  the  meadow, 
the  disastrous  consequences  of  which  I  now  had 
power  to  perceive  to  the  full  extent.  I  had  bruised 
the  tender  stalks  of  springing  grass,  broken  quan- 
tities of  buds,  and  destroyed  myriads  of  living 
creatures.  In  my  stupid  simplicity  I  had  never 
had  any  suspicion  of  the  pain  I  caused  while 
perpetrating  these  evil  deeds,  and  had  been  in 
a  state  of  delight  at  the  profound  peace  pervading 
the  country,  and  the  charms  of  solitude.  What 
peace,  and  what  solitude ! 

I  was  beginning  to  pity  and  say  disagreeable 
things  to  myself,  the  privilege  of  intimacy, 
when  a  stifled  cry  was  forced  from  my  lips, 
and  my  blood  was  frozen  in  my  veins  by  an 
unexpected  sight.  A  terrible  creature,  at  the 
recollection  of  which  I  still  shudder,  had  suddenly 
Appeared  in  my  sight,  hanging  over  my  head  like 
an  acrobat  on  his  trapeze.  It  was  an  enormous 


INTRODUCTION. 


11 


12  INTRODUCTION. 

spider,  keeping  her  great  black  eyes  constantly 
fixed  on  mine  with  a  most  implacable  expression. 
Slowly,  slowly  did  she  descend  from  one  of  the 
branches  of  the  old  Pear-Tree. 

Eeader,  allow  me  here  to  break  into  my  tale 
with  the  confession  of  one  of  my  failings.  By 
nature  I  have  many,  and  am  not  sorry  for  it, 
because  it  is  perhaps,  thanks  to  my  own  faults, 
that  I  have  become  indulgent  to  those  of  others. 
I  have  no  right  to  set  up  for  rigid  virtue.  The 
Athenians  banished  Aristides  because  they  were 
tired  of  hearing  him  called  the  Just ;  and  for  my 
part,  so  far  I  have  lived  in  peace  under  my  own 
roof.  Now,  of  course  I  am  brave,  but  only  about 
half-brave.  I  am  able  to  make  a  valiant  resist- 
ance to  any  attack  when  once  hand-to-hand  with 
the  aggressor ;  but  when  it  is  a  waiting  matter, 
seeing  him  approach  gradually,  holding  his  breath, 
and  while  I  momentarily  expect  a  deadly  hug, 
which  still  comes  not,  at  these  my  nerves  become 
agitated,  stiffen,  give  way,  and  I  fall  into  a  strange 
condition.  I  am  not  exactly  afraid,  but  I  feel  as 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

a  hare  must  when  just  found  by  a  pointer-dog  in 
her  form.  Thus  was  I  while  the  giant  spider,  full 
of  savage  strength  and  vigour,  descended  from 
the  branches  of  the  tree  beneath  which  I  had 
slumbered. 

The  body  was  clothed  in  a  kind  of  grey  fur, 
and  of  a  ruddy  brown  colour,  varied  by  some 
marked  patterns  in  a  bright  yellow.  The  active 
limbs,  thin,  sinewy,  of  considerable  strength,  were 
in  incessant  motion ;  they  were  armed  with  claws 
like  a  cat's,  and  as  hard  and  sharp  as  blades  of 
steel.  The  mouth  bore  a  pair  of  mandibles,  and 
two  hooks.  These  last  implements  were  each  ter- 
minated by  a  small  hole,  the  issues  of  canals  lead- 
ing from  poison-glands  full  of  a  deadly  liquid. 

I  was  confounded,  and  would  have  given  the 
whole  world  to  have  been  able  to  run  away  as  fast 
as  my  legs  would  carry  me ;  but  they  refused  their 
office.  The  spider  continued  to  descend,  turning 
and  twisting  in  the  wind,  and,  like  a  cat  watching 
a  mouse,  stared  at  me  and  fascinated  me  with  her 
big  jet-black  eyes.  Strangely  engrossed  in  spite  of 


14  INTRODUCTION. 

my  increasing  agitation,  I  did  not  miss  a  single 
one  of  her  movements.  The  silk  she  hung  by  was 
an  absolute  rope,  composed  of  a  vast  quantity  of 
extremely  fine  strands,  which  issued  from  four 
conical  humps  she  bore  on  her  abdomen.  These 
threads  at  first  were  sticky  and  slimy,  but  soon 
hardened  in  the  air,  while  she  united  them  by  the 
movements  of  her  feet. 

My  fate  was  coming  to  a  crisis.  The  monster's 
claws  were  not  above  an  inch  from  my  cheek, 
when  she  all  at  once  stopped  and  climbed  up  hei 
rope  with  great  rapidity. 

I  was  safe !  Above  me,  in  an  immensely 
strong  web,  which  reminded  me  of  the  great  nets 
our  fishermen  use,  was  struggling  a  black  fly,  with 
great  masses  of  eyes,  arranged  like  the  facets  of  a 
precious  stone  on  each  side  of  his  head,  his  throat 
and  body  glittering  in  the  sun  as  if  clothed  in 
fine  burnished  Milan  steel.  On  his  back  was  a 
yellowish  moving  spot,  which  really  was  a  parasitic 
insect.  This  strange  rider,  foreseeing  a  catastrophe 
by  the  instinct  peculiar  to  creatures  of  his  kind, 


INTRODUCTION.  15 

was  hastily  disentangling  the  two  grapplers  that 
secured  his  hold  on  his  victim,  and  arranging  his 
retreat.  He  was  flat  and  hideous,  with  long  suckers, 
and  a  body  puffed  out  with  blood. 

Poor  fly !  It  looked  so  wretched  that  I  almost 
thought  its  expression  human.  I  had  already 
witnessed  similar  scenes  in  my  native  town.  Is  it 
not  thus  that  the  artist,  with  his  love  of  the 
beautiful,  intoxicated  with  independence,  generous 
even  to  prodigality,  falls  into  the  nets  of  Shylock 
the  money-lender,  a  crawling  v/retch,  who  lives 
by  trickery,  and  watches  in  the  shade  for  his 
prey?  Poor  artist!  Indignant  at  having  fallen 
under  such  a  yoke,  he  exhausts  his  strength  in 
futile  resistance !  Even  so  was  it  with  the  fly. 
Caught  by  one  wing  it  struggled  frantically. 
There  is  always  some  hope,  even  in  the  most 
desperate  case. 

It  is  matter,  I  thought,  for  rejoicing,  that  we 
are  all  ignorant,  both  men  and  beasts,  of  the 
secret  of  our  fate.  Great  Heaven !  what  a  life 
should  we  lead  could  we  guess  the  riddle  of  this 


16  INTRODUCTION. 

sphinx,  immoveable  guardian  of  the  shrine!  And 
really  is  not  the  work  hard  and  harvest  scanty 
for  a  great  proportion  of  us  ?  Many  germs  are 
blighted,  or  do  not  reach  maturity,  and  many  a 
spring  is  dried  up  before  its  silver  thread  can 
mingle  with  the  great  waves  of  the  blue  ocean. 
The  fly  had  nearly  regained  freedom.  The 
network  around  it  was  yielding  on  all  sides,  when 
the  spider  rushed  upon  it,  and  strained  it  in  a 
close  embrace.  The  captive  repulsed  her,  stif- 
fening all  its  limbs  to  the  utmost,  but,  sad  to 
relate,  not  in  time  to  avoid  a  savage  wound,  filled 
with  poisonous  juice  ;  and,  thus  paralysed,  its  cou- 
rage was  all  in  vain.  The  spider,  crushing  down 
a  final  throe  of  life,  turned  it  round  and  round, 
smeared  it  with  sticky  slime,  covered  it  with 
threads,  and  began  to  devour  it.  Meanwhile  the 
abject  parasite  I  have  before  mentioned  had  let 
itself  fall  on  the  ground,  and  with  difficulty  dragged 
itself  along  the  sand  a  short  distance  from  me. 
Certainly  the  little  abortion  was  not  without  dex- 
terity. It  was  of  those  who  survive  all  disasters, 


INTRODUCTION.  17 


pass  uninjured  through  all 

find  a  niche  to  rest  in  somewhere.     It  all  depends 

on  constitution. 

I  had  been  greatly  excited  by  these  scenes, 
and  remained  asleep,  my  head  in  shade,  and  feet 
in  sunshine.  Had  my  dream  lasted  minutes, 
hours,  or  days  ?  I  had  no  knowledge  of  time, 
and  murmured  with  my  lips  : 

"  The  book  of  creation  is  hard  to  read,  and 
at  times  there  is  much  pain  in  learning  its  lessons. 
The  whole  is  contained  in  every  individual  thing  ! 
The  range  of  our  view  is  bounded  by  infinity. 
This  lowest  parasite,  fallen  from,  a  fly's  wing, 
perhaps  had  his  own  vermin  preying  on  himself. 
In  space  there  is  star  beyond  star  ;  on  earth  one 
atom  is  lost  in  another  atom." 

I  stopped,  confounded  by  this  overwhelming 
thought  ;  here  began  my  initiation.  The  cha- 
racter of  the  meadow  had  changed,  and  I  thence- 
forward called  it  my  book  of  devotion. 


CHAPTER   IT. 

GRAPHIC    SKETCHES. 

MY  astonishment  had  already  been  excited 
by  the  vast  bulk  of  the  old  tree  at  whose  feet 
I  had  seated  myself,  and  I  continued  to  gaze 
upon  it.  Firmly  anchored  in  the  ground,  with 
penetrating  powerful  roots,  and  bravely  raising  its 
splendid  trunk  with  a  crown  of  multitudinous 
branches  to  the  sky,  through  which  it  projected 
a  wide  and  deep  shadow  penetrated  by  many 
brilliant  lights,  around  it  had  perished  myriads 
of  beings  benumbed  by  the  approach  of  cold, 
exhausted  by  famine  and  misery ;  while  it,  always 
sound  and  vigorous,  clothed  itself  with  returning 


GRAPHIC    SKETCHES.  19 

spring  with  a  fresh  vesture.  Eain,  hail,  and  storm 
destroying  legions  of  living  atoms,  could  hardly 
bend  its  head.  An  unmoved  witness,  it  took  its 
part  in  the  many  pageants  of  my  meadow's 

stage. 


Envy  could  not  begrudge  a  princely  state  to 
this  old  patrician ;  for  so  it  seemed  by  nature. 
The  old  Pear-Tree  was  gentle  and  kind  to  the 
weak,  like  a  nobleman  come  of  a  good  stock.  The 

C  2 


20  GRAPHIC    SKETCHES. 

farmer's  children  climbed  the  branches  yearly,  and 
thence  gathered  a  quantity  of  fine  ripe  fruit ; 
while  wasps  and  caterpillars  took  their  share. 
Here  and  there  young  twigs  might  be  cut  away, 
but  these  slight  thefts  were  of  no  consequence. 
Does  the  owner  of  a  great  landed  property,  the 
accumulation  of  many  years,  with  secure  title- 
deeds,  trouble  himself  for  the  vile  pilfering  of 
some  petty  bailiff?  He  deigns  not  to  interfere, 
although  aware  of  what  is  going  on.  Examples 
of  all  sorts  are  found  in  this  world,  from  the 
oak  scattering  its  acorns  in  the  forest,  down  to 
the  animal  that  searches  for  them  in  the  mud. 
Ducklings  hasten  into  the  water,  while  chickens 
dare  not  quit  the  bank ;  each  does  according  to 
its  own  particular  nature. 

Our  tree,  full  of  rich  sap,  had  more  clients 
than  a  Roman  senator.  And  first,  there  lived 
in  the  folds  of  the  bark  a  curious  race — very 
homely,  without  much  elegance,  but  very  lively. 
It  was  a  tribe  of  woodlice,  of  all  ages,  and  different 
shapes  and  colours.  Young  or  old,  they  looked 


GRAPHIC    SKETCHES. 


21 


quite  unpleasant  enough,  and  I  should  not  have 
liked  to  see  them  march  towards  me.  Their  bodies, 
all  of  a  size,  were  composed  of  ten  rings,  or  plates, 
of  an  ash  colour.  I  could  make  out  with  some 
difficulty  a  little  dusky  head  in  front  of  the 
foremost,  bearing  two  bending  and  very  active 
antennae. 


They  went  and  came,  biting  and  gnawing  all 
sorts  of  rubbish,  and  even  making  attacks  on 
the  still  tender  stalks  of  newly  budding  plants. 
Did  any  one  of  them  suffer  from  any  accident, 
the  whole  party  rushed  on  him,  and  made  a 
meal  on  his  carcase.  Is  not  this  too  often  the 
fate  of  those  who  fail,  men  or  beasts  ?  How 
much  better  is  it  to  dismember  a  motionless  body, 


22  GRAPHIC    SKETCHES. 

like  the  woodlice,  than  to  fatten  on  the  reputation 
of  an  honest  man.  But  not  to  moralize  too 
much. 

My  woodlice,  like  some  politicians,  clever  people 
otherwise,  often  put  on  a  new  coat,  withdrawing 
carefully  from  their  old  shell  body,  legs,  and 
horns.  They  were  of  all  shades,  according  to  their 
age — from  pale  grey  to  dark  grey,  spotted  with 
black  spots,  and  little  yellow.  The  females  bore 
a  little  bag  of  a  thin  transparent  skin,  in  which 
were  enclosed  their  progeny. 

I  was  watching  them  running  through  the 
moss,  when  a  sharp  metallic  sound  recalled  me  to 
other  scenes.  I  thought  a  little  silver  bell  had 
been  rung  near  the  mouth  of  a  dark  cavern, 
opening  in  a  slope,  about  two  steps  off.  The 
sound  was  repeated  louder,  and  I  saw  appear 
a  long  head,  with  four  great  thick  appendages,  as 
well  as  two  antennae  as  fine  as  threads.  Behind 
these  antennae  were  placed  two  great  eyes;  between 
them  were  seen  three  others  smaller,  placed  in 
the  same  transverse  line. 


GRAPHIC    SKETCHES.  23 

As  the  new-comer  emerged  from  the  darkness, 
she  displayed  two  enormous  legs,  very  strong  and 
flat,  enlarged  towards  the  ends,  and  terminating 
in  six  claws,  like  the  teeth  of  a  saw,  four  turning 
outwards  and  two  inwards.  On  her  breast  was 


a  long  soit  of  cuirass,  almost  circular,  and  covered 
with  velvet ;  on  her  back  were  two  short  cases, 
laid  across  and  partly  hiding  two  great  wings 
folded  to  a  point. 

I  at  once  knew  her,  from  having  in  my  youth 


24  GRAPHIC    SKETCHES. 

hunted  her,  and  often  unsuccessfully ;  it  was  the 
mole-cricket. 

The  insect  advanced  slowly,  ready  to  return 
to  her  cave  on  the  least  alarm.  Living  alone  she 
had  become  restless  and  suspicious,  like  all  those 
who  avoid  company.  Terrified  where  there  was  no 
danger,  she  was  only  happy  in  the  dark,  hanging 
to  the  feeding  roots  of  some  plant,  or  attacking 
with  blows  of  her  claws  a  wretched  earth-worm 
too  lazy  to  escape. 

Why  had  this  misanthrope  left  her  peaceful, 
safe  harbour  to  venture  herself  into  the  meadow  ? 

The  silver  bell  tinkled  on,  and  its  shrill  note 
mingled  with  the  sound  of  the  wind  among  the 
leaves.  The  mole-cricket  heard  it  with  a  shudder, 
stopped  in  uncertainty,  and  then  resumed  her 
march,  guided  by  a  mysterious  power  that  she 
hardly  tried  to  resist.  Was  it  magnetism,  or 
fascination,  or  combined  of  both  ?  A  little  of  it, 
and  something  more ;  for  the  silver  sounds  that 
rang  around  the  strange  creature  were  her 
'  wedding-bells.  Her  cruel  nature  could  only  be 


GRAPHIC   SKETCHES.  25 

softened     by    spring,    with     its     warm    air     and 
opening  flowers. 

At   any  other   season,  very  far  from  greeting 
favourably   the  elegant  gentleman    who   was    now 
tinkling  at  his  own  door,  she  would  have   rushed  ; 
at  him  and  torn  his  face.     To-day,  not  so  warlike, 
almost  mild,  she  passed  to  the   nuptial    meeting. 

As  the  spouses  drew  nearer,  the  silver  bell 
rang  less  loudly  and  more  airily.  The  motions  of 
the  wings  of  the  male,  violent  of  late,  which 
produced  this  curious  sound,  grew  feebler  by 
degrees.  He  was  hid  under  the  grass,  and  my 
mole-cricket  too  disappeared  there.  I  heard  two 
or  three  more  indistinct  and  plaintive  notes,  and 
then  the  meadow  was  'quite  quiet. 

At  this  moment  my  sensations  were  indescri- 
bable. Proud  of  the  wonderful  perfection  of  my 
eyesight,  and  Bearing,  rejoicing  in  these  new 
faculties,  I  wondered  how  I  could  ever  have  lived 
so  long  nearly  blind  and  half  deaf.  -  Nothing 
now  escaped  my  notice,  and  all  nature  found  a 
reflection  in  me,  with  an  especial  clearness  and 


26  GRAPHIC   SKETCHES. 

precision.  I  was  in  a  state  of  beatitude,  some- 
times felt,  but  seldom  when  in  perfect  health.  I 
was  alive,  and  thought,  and  yet  did  not  feel  my 
body  any  longer.  Pain  or  pleasure  was  not  felt 
in  it,  as  I  wandered  like  a  spirit  through  the 
regions  of  dream  and  fancy.  Again  the  grass 
was  disturbed,  and  the  mole-cricket  returned 
towards  me,  thrusting  itself  through  the  grass, 
and  making  its  way  towards  the  slope  of  ground. 
When  she  got  a  few  inches  away  from  her  former 
mansion,  she  extended  her  great  palms  and  began 
to  scratch  the  earth.  Soon  an  excavation  was 
made,  lengthened  into  a  perpendicular  shaft,  then 
turned  towards  the  left  at  a  slight  slope.  The 
work  was  done  quickly  and  energetically. 

When  this  first  operation  was  complete,  the 
insect  set  to  work  to  burrow  horizontally,  and 
made  a  small  oval  chamber,  carefully  smoothing 
its  walls.  This  was  not  far  under  ground, 
between  two  great  roots  of  the  Pear-Tree,  and 
not  beyond  the  influence  of  the  heat  of  the  sun. 
There,  believing  herself  secure  from  interruption, 


GRAPHIC    SKETCHES.  27 

the  mole-cricket  laid  about  a  hundred  eggs, 
almost  transparent,  gelatinous,  and  of  a  greenish 
tint.  Burial  was  not  enough  ;  they  must  be  pro- 
tected from  marauders.  This  was  provided  by  the 
careful  mother  making  fortifications  round  them,  in- 
trenchments,  ramparts,  and  covered  ways.  Satisfied 
with  her  work,  she  took  post  as  sentry  not  far  off, 
ready,  at  the  least  alarm,  to  come  to  the  rescue. 

A  number  of  very  busy  ants  were  always 
passing,  to  and  fro  on  the  trunk  of  the  old  Pear- 
Tree,  mounting  to  the  first  branches  and  coming 
down  again,  for  ever  repeating  the  same  evolutions. 
I  watched  one  in  particular,  climbing  among  the 
lichens  and  mosses,  and  searching  everywhere  with 
its  antennae,  using  them  indeed  as  feelers.  At  a 
certain  height  she  stopped  at  once  before  a  kind 
of  whitish  shell,  half  hidden  between  two  bite  of 
bark.  She  went  round  it,  and  felt  it  all  over, 
pressed  it  between  her  paws,  and  gnawed  at  it 
in  a  fever  of  impatience. 

We  will  shortly  give  the  history  of  this  egg 
so  greedily  sought  for. 


GRAPHIC   SKETCHES. 


GRAPHIC   SKETCHES.  C9 

If  an  idler  had  stopped  under  our  old  Pear- 
Tree  in  the  first  months  of  summer,  he  might 
have  remarked  a  sort  of  woodlouse  of  liliputian 
dimensions,  moving  under  the  leaves  and  on  the 
twigs  of  the  plant ;  it  had  two  horns,  six  feet, 
and  a  body  composed  of  six  rings,  and  was  powdery 
all  over.  This  individual  had  among  othei 
peculiarities  an  impossible  mouth,  situated  on  its 
chest  between  the  first  pair  of  legs.  It  was 
composed  of  a  sort  of  hillock  or  pipe  of  flesh, 
very  short,  and  proceeding  from  it  a  very  long 
thin  white  thread.  By  this  pipe  does  the  little 
creature  take  its  nourishment,  thrusting  it  deeply 
into  the  vegetable  tissues.  Our  false  woodlouse 
with  a  Greek  name,  aphis,  after  wandering  some 
time  free  and  happy,  settled  down,  and  placed 
itself  in  a  well-sheltered  spot.  There  it  remained 
motionless,  tired  of  adventures,  without  leaving 
the  spot.  Those  limbs,  lately  so  supple,  grew  stiff 
for  want  of  employment,  and  at  last  their  use 
was  lost.  At  the  end  of  winter  it  would  have 
perished  without  sign  of  life  or  movement  if 


an  GRAPHIC   SKETCHES. 

plucked  from  its  retreat.  Once  fixed,  it  had 
become  larger  and  stronger,  and  grown  to  the 
size  of  a  small  bean.  As  the  skin  stretched,  the 
wrinkles  disappeared,  and  the  aphis  became  n 
slightly  oblong  lump. 

Our  wretched  insect  thus  entered  on  the  last 
stage  of  its  existence.  One  day  this  half  dead, 
oblong  lump  began  to  lay  eggs;  and  as  these, 
passing  under  it,  were  collected  beneath,  the  shell 
which  served  them  as  a  wrapper  covered  them. 
At  last  it  made  the  plunge  from  life  to  death, 
having  outlasted  the  male  with  his  light  trans- 
parent wings. 

Then  this  white  shell,  hanging  between  two 
pieces  of  bark,  was  the  cradle  of  a  generation. 
No  wonder  now  at  the  excitement  of  the  greedy 
ant  at  discovering  this  treasure.  Inside  were 
many  eggs  of  a  reddish  colour,  hard  and  shining, 
protected  from  the  cold  by  a  coverlet,  like  cotton, 
of  a  white  sticky  powder.  The  robber  was  hard 
at  work  with  her  mandibles, .  when  one  of  her 
own  kind,  likewise  on  quest  since  morning,  all  at 


GKAPHIC    SKETCKBS:'..;  y  31 

once  appeared,  and  made  one  spring  towards  the 
aphis. 

Between  the  disputants  ensued  a  long  discourse  ; 
they  angrily  rubbed  their  horns  against  each  other, 
clearly  remonstrating  with  one  another.  At  last 
victory  declared  for  the  right  of  the  first  comer, 
but  not  -without  a  violent  debate  :  while  the 
intruder  yielded  unwillingly,  without  giving  up  a 
pleasant  hope  of  future  fortune,  were  it  no  better 
than  the  gleanings  of  another's  field.  Eetiriug  a 
couple  of  inches  from  the  shell,  she  turned  her 
head  away  with  so  sad  and  confused  an  air  that 
I  could  not  help  repeating  Pliny's  words  :  "  In 
formicd  non  modo  sensus  sed  etiam  mens,  ratio, 
memoria"  That  is  to  say,  he  attributes  to  my 
ant  mind,  reasoning  power,  and  memory.  This 
scene  was  often  repeated,  and  soon  around  the 
aphis  was  gathered  a  ring  of  anxious  -watchers, 
while  in  the  centre  the  first-comer  reigned  with 
unrivalled  grandeur.  She  had  possession,  and 
made  a  brave  defiance  to  the  opposition,  with 
fierce  gestures  of  her  mandibles,  eyes  flaming,  and 


32  GRAPHIC   SKETCHES. 

eloquent  antennae.  All  this  was  very  much  like 
parliament,  I  do  assure  you,  and  I  fancied  I  heard 
her  say,  like  one  great  minister  of  times  gone  by 
.  .  .  but  just  at  present  I  cannot  remember  his 
speech.  Besides,  I  never  understood  anything  in 
politics,  except  that  it  is  a  science  that  all  the 
world  lays  claim  to  knowing,  without  the  trouble 
of  learning.  I  can  only  answer  for  one  thing, 
that  our  ant  proved  to  her  own  satisfaction  the 
goodness  of  her  cause,  but  without  convincing  her 
antagonists  that  they  were  in  the  wrong. 

Do  not  those  who  are  lucky  enough  to  be 
formed  in  the  great  school  of  life  act  much  in 
this  way,  with  more  or  less  of  talent  than  the 
victorious  ant  ? 


CHAPTER  III. 

A    TRAGEDY    IN    THE    GRASS. 

NEXT  came  a  cockchafer,  big,  heavy,  and 
rough-footed,  tumbling  about  like  a  comfortable 
citizen  who  has  stayed  too  long  at  the  public- 
house,  and  is  going  home  a  good  deal  too  late, 
and  pretty  well  scared  at  being  alone.  He  took 
long  steps  but  did  not  get  on  much,  for  he  was 
blinded  by  the  sunlight,  and  his  great  tail  dragged 
in  the  sand.  At  first  sight  one  would  have  thought 
that  he  had  been  feasting  too  deeply  on  "the 
branches  of  the  old  Pear-Tree,  and  that  some 
drops  of  dew  had  disturbed  his  brain.  Yet  this 
idea  would  have  been  very  incorrect ;  for  in  truth 

D 


34  A    TRAGEDY    IN    THE    GRASS 

the  poor  creature  was  only  dazzled,  and  certainly 
so  might  any  one  have  been  in  his  place,  for  he 
had  just  made  his  entrance  into  the  world. 

Four  years  before,  on  a  fine  June  evening, 
his  mother  had  dug  a  trench  in  the  ground  at 
the  foot  of  the  great  tree,  and  laid  some  oblong 
eggs  in  it  of  a  pale  yellow  colour.  When  she  had 
satisfactorily  accomplished  this,  returning  above 
ground  she  inhaled  the  balmy  breaths  of  air  in 
a  melancholy  mood ;  arid  after  having  spent  a 
few  days  on  a  leafy  branch,  at  last  fell  from  it 
and  died  amid  the  stalks  of  a  forget-me-not. 

She  had  laid  her  eggs  side  by  side ;  and  as 
time  went  by,  and  they  felt  the  reviving  in- 
fluences of  spring,  they  gradually  changed  their 
colour.  At  last  thence  issued  certain  six-footed 
white  larvae,  and  among  them  our  cockchafer, 
then  only  a  humble  worm — a  kind  of  false  cater- 
pillar with  five  rings.  His  head  was  scaly,  hard, 
and  rather  brown ;  there  were  two  great  eyes  in 
it,  and  it  had  strong  jaws,  finished  off  by  a  pair 
of  short  antennae. 


A    TRAGEDY    IN    THE   GRASS.  35 

Almost  with  his  first  breath  of  life  began 
sharp  twinges  in  the  region  of  the  stomach,  and 
lie  set  ravenously  to  work,  with  a  fierce  burning, 
insatiable  appetite.  He  grew  and  changed  his 


skin  while  feeding  on  savoury  roots  ;  careless 
of  what  might  happen  around  him,  so  long  as 
he  was  continually  devouring. 

D  2 


36  A   TRAGEDY    IN    THE    GRASS. 

There  are  such  beings,  whose  heart  and  brain 
are  only  other  forms  of  the  intestinal  canal. 
Speak  not  to  them  of  art  or  science,  of  litera- 
ture or  questions  of  religion  ;  they  neither  under- 
stand, nor  know,  nor  hear  anything  of  them ; 
they  only  eat. 

Thus  our  larva  had  gone  on  eating,  and 
eating  to  the  best  of  his  power,  everything  he 
met  with  for  many  months.  But  his  appetite 
relaxed  its  tyranny  as  the  fourth  year  drew  to 
its  close.  Then  changing  his  views,  he  looked 
forth,  and  was  sensible  of  ambition.  In  prepa- 
ration for  a  change,  he  penetrated  deep  beneath 
the  ground,  and  there  constructed  a  smooth  and 
polished  chamber  remote  from  curious  glances. 
There  he  remained  torpid  until  the  month  of 
February,  having  once  more  cast  his  vulgar  skin 
and.  changed  into  a  chrysalis,  and  waked  at  last 
into  a  cockchafer,  but  a  soft  and  white  cockchafer. 

The  different  parts  of  his  body  gradually 
gained  hardness  and  strength,  and  he  issued 
from  his  cell,  a  joyous  insect,  but  withal  some- 


A    TRAGEDY    IN    THE    GRASS.  37 

what   clumsily,    like   a    countryfied    gentleman    in 
new  clothes  mixing  among  persons  of  rank. 

Behold  him  marching  forth  in  public,  stretch- 


ing  his  legs  with  the  airs  of  a  provincial  dandy 
freshly  launched  upon  the  town.  He  is  in  haste, 
after  his  long  sojourn  in  the  dark,  to  enjoy  the 


38  A    TRAGEDY    IN   THE    GRASS. 

verdure  as  it  sparkles  in  the  dew.  But  there  is 
a  stumbling-block  in  his  way,  and  he  stops  in 
surprise.  His  path  is  barred  by  a  rock,  possibly 
only  a  pebble.  Anybody  but  a  cockchafer  would 
go  round ;  but  ours  is  an  enterprising  hero,  and 
would  attempt  an  escalade.  The  first  attempts  at 
first  are  unsuccessful,  for  the  surface  of  the  stone 
is  as  smooth  as  glass.  He  perseveres,  waves  his 
great  arms  in  despair,  raises  himself  heavily,  and 
after  balancing  a  moment  in  the  air,  his  head 
turns,  and  he  rolls  on  his  back  in  the  dust, 
abashed  and  astonished,  bruised  all  over  by  his 
fall. 

Never,  no,  never  has  such  a  rebuff  fallen 
under  my  notice.  Can  you  imagine  the  feelings 
of  a  bachelor  of  arts  finding  that  there  is  more 
left  for  him  to  learn  1  Have  you  probed  the  sen- 
sations of  a  would-be  member,  cast  back  upon 
common  life  from  dreams  of  becoming  the  creator 
of  his  country's  happiness  by  consulting  his  own? 

These  disappointments,  these  troubles,  these 
rebuffs  were  quite  a  bed  of  roses  compared  to 


A    TRAGEDY    IN    THE    GRASS.  39 

what  onr  poor  sheath-winged  friend  appeared  to 
feel.  To  mark  his  entrance  ixto  the  world,  after 
three  years  spent  in  devouring  with  feverish 
haste,  after  a  most  artistic  change  into  a  chry- 
salis, and  bearing  a  multitude  of  privations  for 


u  whole  winter,  by  such  an  astounding  somer- 
sault, it  was  sad  and  heart-breaking ;  and  yet 
what  is  more  common,  among  insects  at  least  ? 
In  climbing  the  mountain  too  many  pebbles  of  the 
plain  are  to  be  met  with,  and  more  cockchafers 
than  one  encounter  that  hard  fate. 


40  A    TRAGEDY    IN    THE    GRASS. 

However  that  may  be,  the  poor  creature 
struggled  in  vain  to  get  up.  Whilst  he  lay  on 
the  sand,  crushed  into  despair,  the  grass  was 
disturbed  a  short  distance  from  where  he  lay, 
and  made  visible  a  magnificent  beetle,  with  head 
and  breast  of  a  splendid  golden  green,  of  the 
most  brilliant  lustre.  The  wing-cases  were 
channelled  by  three  large  furrows,  and  rose  in 
an  elevated  form.  The  furrows  between  the 
ridges  were  more  brilliant  than  the  edges  of  the 
wing-cases,  and  the  corselet  was  heart-shaped. 
The  eyes  were  brown,  antennae  and  feet  fawn- 
coloured,  and  abdomen  greenish  black  with  slightly 
gilded  specks. 

It  was  easy  to  see  that  here  was  a  somewhat 
important  personage ;  an  old  acquaintance  of 
the  illustrious  Linnaeus,  who  had  conferred  on 
him  the  title  of  Carabus  viridis,  whom  the 
profane  call  by  the  more  familiar  name  of 
predatory  beetle.* 

He    too,  as   well    as   our  miserable  cockchafer, 

*  In  French,  la  Jardiniere,  from  the  quantity  of  chafers  it  destroys. 


A   TRAGEDY   IN   THE   GRASS.  41 

traced  his  growth  from  a  larva ;  but  what  a  larva 
it  was !  Long,  round,  soft,  white,  with  six  scaly 
feet.  There  was  armour  on  the  back  of  his  head 
—a  round  plate  of  a  brown  colour,  a  sort  of 
natural  buckler — and  in  front  of  it  a  greedy  mouth 
furnished  with  two  strong  jaws.  He  never  lived 
on  roots,  but  on  raw  and  bleeding  flesh.  To 
obtain  this  choice  nourishment  recourse  was  had 
to  deception,  and  he  dug  a  pitfall,  with  his  own 
head  for  the  lid  of  it.  Anything  that  passed 
over  this  moveable  surface  could  not  help  falling 
into  the  gulf,  where  it  was  torn  to  pieces  by 
teeth  and  claws. 

One  of  his  relations,  the  larva  of  the  square 
gold  predatory  beetle  (Cardbus  amatus),  does  the 
same  with  less  trouble.  He  just  places  himself 
in  a  nest  of  processionary  caterpillars,  and  eats 
them  up  at  leisure. 

Our  predatory  beetle,  on  assuming  his  final 
shape,  had  not  altered  his  manners.  Not  only 
was  he  always  clad  in  complete  armour  for  war, 
but  even  had  received  from  nature  a  new  weapon 


42  A    TRAGEDY    IN    THE    GRASS. 

of  offence,  being  provided  with  an  acrid,  burning 
liquor  that  he  could  cast  upon  his  foes;  a  real 
insect  of  prey,  Living  by  rapine  and  destruction, 
active,  alert,  and  vigorous,  full  of  courage  and 
ferocity. 

The  moment  that  he  set  eyes  on  the  still 
prostrate  cockchafer,  he  rushed  on  it  with  incon- 
ceivable nimbleness,  dug  his  claw  into  its  body, 
and,  horrible  to  relate,  was  devouring  it  like  a 
ferocious  tiger.  I  felt  a  great  desire  to  crush 
him  with  a  stone,  and  make  an  application  of  the 
law  of  retribution.  But  what  could  I  do  as  I  lay 
torpid  ?  Was  not  my  own  life  in  danger  ?  True, 
I  had  been  a  man,  and  as  such  one  of  the  lords 
of  creation  ;  but  was  I  so  still  ?  All  was  altered 
around  me,  and  my  ideas  were  not  so  very  clear. 
Had  I  any  right  to  kill  this  creature — I,  whose 
neighbours  raise  sheep  and  oxen,  cherish  these 
animals,  feed  and  pet  them,  to  end  by  cutting 
their  throats  or  breaking  their  heads  with  a  pole- 


axe  ? 


The  cockchafer  was  at  the  point  of  death  ;  his 


A    TRAGEDY    IN    THE    GRASS. 


44  A    TRAGEDY    IN    THE    GRASS. 

feet  only  moved  feebly.  Why,  destitute  of  beak 
and  claws,  was  lie  rash  enough  to  enter  a  world 
unfit  for  him  ?  Why  had  he  scorned  the  humble 
lot  of  larvae,  to  mix  with  the  aristocrats,  to 
whom  he  was  fated  to  fall  a  victim  ?  The 
Carabus,  his  head  buried  in  the  bleeding  body, 
smeared  with  the  sap  of  life,  enjoyed  his  piece 
of  luck,  when  one  of  my  little  ants  on  a 
foraging  expedition  appeared  on  the  scene  of 
slaughter.  Instantly,  with  wonderful  perception, 
she  understood  the  scene.  She  rose  on  her  fore- 
feet, raised  her  antennae  in  astonishment,  lowered 
them,  and  slipped  through  the  grass  in  haste 
towards  the  scene  of  conflict. 

What  was  she  going  to  do  1  Did  she  desire, 
like  a  jackal],  to  gather  up  the  crumbs  of  this 
lion's  feast  ?  Was  she  not  rash  in  venturing  so 
near  the  high  and  mighty  Carabus  Viridis  ? 

I  followed  all  her  movements  with  the  great- 
est curiosity.  She  drew  near  the  pre-occupied 
Carabus,  made  a  circuit  round  him,  climbed  on 
his  back,  and  furiously  attacking  him  at  the 


A    TRAGEDY    IN    THE    GRASS.  45 

chink  of  his  armour  between  head  and  corselet 
made  him  let  go  his  prey.  The  Carabus,  enraged 
at  this  sudden  assault,  made  violent  efforts  to  get 
rid  of  his  enemy ;  but  she  clung  tight,  and 
grievously  vexed  him  with  bites.  At  last  he 
became  alarmed,  made  a  furious  bound,  left 
his  victim,  and  rushed  into  a  thicket,  quite  weary 
and  out  of  breath.  This  was  doubtless  just 
what  the  ant  wanted ;  for,  slipping  down  along 
her  adversary's  wing-covers,  she  set  herself  to 
watch. 

This  scene  had  passed  so  quickly  that  I  had 
hardly  time  to  consider  it.  The  ant  remained 
motionless,  raising  her  fore-feet  in  a  vigilant 
attitude. 

I  soon  saw  why.  Lord  Carabus  Viridis, 
astounded  only  for  the  moment  by  the  violent 
assault  he  had  suffered  from,  had  ceased  to 
retreat,  and  returned  to  the  charge.  No  one, 
however  great  a  philosopher  he  may  be,  will- 
ingly gives  up  a  good  meal,  especially  if  he  has 
been  up  with  the  dawn,  and  has  not  yet  had 


4fi  A    TRAGEDY    IN    THE    GRASS. 

his  breakfast.  He  looked  in  doubt  from  right  to 
left,  saw  nothing  suspicious,  and  sprang  back  to 
his  place  by  the  cockchafer. 

The  ant  was  on  the  look-out  for  him.  Swift 
as  lightning  she  fastened  on  him  again,  found  a 
new  way  through  the  joints  of  his  armour,  and 
pricked  him  so  sharply  that  he  shrank  with  pain, 
and  in  his  turn  rolled  on  the  ground.  Rising 
painfully,  conquered,  disgraced,  completely  out  of 
sorts,  he  scampered  off  at  his  best  pace,  this  time 
with  no  notion  of  returning. 

The  ant  remained  victorious  on  the  field  of 
battle. 

"  In  formica  non  tnodo  sensus,  sed  etiam 
mens,  ratio,  memorial  Mind  had  triumphed  over 
brute  force. 

"  Brave  and  honoured  ant !  "  I  cried  in  trans- 
port ;  "  she  has  a  noble  heart,  whatever  the  grass- 
hopper may  say.  There  she  comes,  like  the 
knight-errant  of  song,  to  succour  the  feeble  arid 
oppressed.  This  burning  sympathy  for  the  suf- 
ferer, this  active  and  devoted  charity,  implies 


A    TRAGEDY    IN    THE    GRASS.  47 

generous    and    lofty    sentiments.       May    Heaven 
confound  detractors !  " 

Alas !  my  enthusiasm  did  not  last  long.  My 
ant  was  of  the  positivist  school,  and  thought  of 
nothing  less  than  the  glory  of  a  generous  action. 
When  she  found  herself  alone,  she  came  softly 
and  steadily  up  to  the  cockchafer  and  set  to 
work  on  him  with  a  good  appetite.  When  she 
found  she  had  eaten  enough,  her  journey  was 


resumed  ;  till  meeting  another  of  her  kind,  she 
immediately  made  a  communication  to  her  by  the 
contact  of  antennae.  The  new-comer  too  at  once 
retraced  her  steps,  while  the  first  calmly  resumed 


48  A    TRAGEDY    IN    THE    GRASS. 

her  place  by  the  body.  A  moment  later  I  saw 
a  quantity  of  ants  arrive  from  all  the  paths  traced 
round  the  blades  of  grass  in  hastening  waves, 
marching  fiercely,  like  a  division  on  an  expedition. 
The  cockchafer  was  soon  covered  with  them,  so 
that  I  could  hard]y  see  him.  They  minced  him 
up,  they  crumbled  him  to  bits,  and  in  a  few 
moments  nothing  was  left  of  the  poor  wrretch  but 
a  pair  of  horny  wings,  some  braised  legs,  and  his 
corselet  half  buried  in  the  sand.  "Sic  transit 
gloria  mundi ! "  All  is  dust  and  will  return  to 
dust.  Will  the  cockchafer  grubs  take  warning  by 
the  sad  fate  of  one  of  them  ?  will  they  live  for  the 
future  in  a  more  retired  manner,  taking  thought 
that  if  obscurity  is  less  joyful  than  broad  day, 
it  affords  also  greater  safety  ?  In  a  w^ord,  will  they 
be  wiser  than  most '  men  'I  None  can  tell. 


CHAPTER  IT. 


SUBTERRANEAN    CITIES. 

NOTHING  conduces  to  meditation  so  much  as 
silence,  and  all  sound  had  died  away  around  me. 
So  I  reflected  on  the  late  events,  and  the  result 
was  that  I  all  at  once  cried  out,  running  the 
risk  of  rousing  the  surrounding  echoes  : 

"  Of  all  the  creatures  that  fly  in  the  air, 
Swim  in  the  sea,  or  tread  earth  so  fair, 
From  Paris  and  Rome  to  Peru  and  Japan, 
The  most  foolish  beast,  as  I  think,  is  man." 

The  lines  are  Boileau's,  but  I  applied  them  to 
myself,  and  had  good  reason  for  putting  faith 
in  them. 


50  SUBTERRANEAN    CITIES. 

"What!"!  went  on,  "did  I  indeed  find  fault 
with  a  foolish  caterpillar,  because  it  was  disturbed 
with  a  notion  of  rising  in  life  in  obedience  to 
the  instinct  of  improving  its  condition  ?  Am  I 
no  longer  an  ardent  disciple  of  the  great  mindn 
who  have  proclaimed  the  doctrine  of  continual 
progress,  and  must  I  take  my  place  among  the 
company  of  meditative  admirers  of  routine  ? " 

Taking  everything  into  consideration,  our  cock- 
chafer had  made  only  one  mistake,  and  that  de- 
stroyed him, — he  went  away  from  his  kind.  The 
eagle,  the  lion,  the  tiger,  live  alone  enfolded  in 
their  own  fierce  royalty,  but  this  condition  only 
suits  peculiar  natures.  Little  creatures  should 
assemble  and  increase  their  power  by  combina- 
tion. Divided,  they  fall  a  prey  to  the  strong ; 
yet,  united,  their  power  is  invincible.  Hercules, 
the  conqueror  of  the  Erymanthian  boar,  would 
have  been  put  to  flight  by  a  legion  of  ants. 

As  we  are  on  the  subject  of  ants,  let  us  pay 
them  a-,  visit  and  endeavour  to  penetrate  some  of 
their  secrets.  Our  friends  of  the  great  Pear-Tree, 


SUBTERRANEAN   CITIES. 


51 


52  SUBTERRANEAN   CITIES. 

as  we  have  before  pointed  out,  were  of  the  black 
race.  Their  city  was  placed  at  the  edge  of  a 
path,  about  two  yards  from  the  tree. 

They  had  then  made  excavations  and  dug 
long  galleries  underground,  sustaining  the  roof 
by  employing  roots  as  pillars.  The  walls  of 
their  habitation  were  quite  smooth  and  perfectly 
regular. 

When  once  our  ants  were  under  ground  they 
penetrated  more  deeply  into  the  earth,  and 
added  a  second  and  third  story  to  their  abode. 
Precautions  had  to  be  taken  against  everything 
— the  cold  of  winter,  the  increase  of  population, 
and  the  damage  that  might  be  caused  by  tor- 
rents of  rain.  Such  a  building  as  theirs,  so 
solidly  supported,  presented  great  advantages  for 
withstanding  such  calamities. 

Most  irreproachable  order  reigned  in  the  colony 
that  we  are  describing.  Labour  was  held  in  high 
esteem,  and  each  one  who  took  his  share  always 
in  turn  applied  himself  to  the  public  good.  The 
needs  of  the  society  were  supplied  by  hunting, 


SUBTERRANEAN   CI 


and,  contrary  to  the  generally-received  opinion, 
no  provision  was  made  for  winter.  The  workers 
or  neuters — that  is  to  say,  the  most  active  mem- 


bers of  the  tribe — issued  at  daybreak  to  attack 
anything  eatable.  Fruits,  seeds,  dead  animals, 
nothing  came  amiss  to  them.  At  times,  as  we 


64  SUBTERRANEAN   CITIES. 

have  seen,  they  fell  upon  a  living  insect,  and 
tried  to  take  possession  of  it.  If  they  did  not 
find  that  they  were  strong  enough  to  do  what 
they  wanted,  they  sent  to  seek  for  assistance, 
and  their  victim  was  soon  brought  down,  yielding 
to  force  of  numbers  and  unable  to  escape  them. 
The  enemy,  eager  for  his  destruction,  not  only 
employed  their  mandibles  like  crowbars  and  pin- 
cers, but  also  an  acrid  irritating  liqutr,  called  by 
chemists  formic  acid,  which  has  a  most  violent 
poisonous  action. 

With  the  approach  of  cold  our  ants  retire 
into  their  galleries,  and  close  the  mouths  of  them 
with  great  care.  Then  collecting  in  their  larger 
chambers,  heaped  close  on  each  other,  they  fall 
into  a  deep  torpor.  What  would  be  the  use  in 
collecting  provisions  they  would  not  know  what 
to  do  with  ?  They  have  no  need  of  them,  and 
await  in  their  subterranean  palace  the  return  of  a 
more  mild  and  genial  season. 

Is  not  the  story  of  the  Sleeping  Beauty  in 
the  Wood,  so  charming  in  its  simple  grace,  a 


SUBTERRANEAN   CITIES.  55 

leaf  borrowed  from  my  book  ?  Good  heavens ! 
what  are  we  coming  to  if  the  fairy  tales,  to  which 
envious  pedants  of  our  day  object  on  the  pre- 
text that  they  hinder  children  of  two  years  old 
from  taking  a  fancy  to  mathematics,  are  be- 
coming realities  ? 

The  workers  are  not  devoted  to  the  chase 
alone.  A  great  number  of  them,  less  warlike 
but  not  less  useful,  have  other  cares.  Before 
we  speak  of  these,  in  order  better  to  understand 
their  importance,  let  us  make  another  descent 
into  their  city,  as  we  have  only  yet  studied  its 
borders. 

In  some  tolerably  spacious  chambers  we  see 
a  crowd  of  eggs  piled  close  together.  They  are 
of  different  shapes  and  colours.  The  smallest 
are  round,  white,  and  opaque  ;  the  larger  are  more 
transparent,  and  have  one  end  slightly  curved. 
Others,  of  medium  size,  are  semi-opaque,  and  a 
sort  of  white  cloud  is  visible  within,  longer  or 

'  O 

shorter.  Around  these  watch  with  anxiety  and 
(are  the  workers  we  have  alluded  to.  Standing 


«6  SUBTERRANEAN   CITIES. 

high  on  their  fore-feet,  there  they  are  ready  to 
defend  their  charge.  Some  are  engaged  in  open- 
ing the  entries  and  kneading  the  ground,  while 
others  remain  inactive.  If  the  sun  lights  up  the 
outside  of  the  nest,  the  sentinels  placed  outside 
nastily  descend  to  the  bottom  of  the  habitation, 
strike  their  comrades  with  their  antennae,  seize 
on  those  who  seem  not  to  understand  them, 
and  drag  them  to  the  top. 

Soon  the  whole  is  in  commotion.  The  larvae 
and  n;ymphae  that  spring  from  the  eggs  before- 
mentioned  are  borne  with  all  haste  to  the  sur- 
face of  the  ant-hill  to  receive  the  rays  of  the 
sun.  After  an  interval  they  are  returned  to 
chambers  where  there  is  a  warm  temperature, 
but  where  they  are  protected  from  too  glaring 
light.  When  the  star  of  day  is  veiled  with 
clouds,  or  sinks  beneath  the  horizon,  the  larvae  are 
gathered  up  again  and  conveyed  to  the  galleries. 

The  larva  of  the  black  ant  is  like  a  little 
worm  with  black  feet,  fat,  short,  and  conical. 
The  body  tapers  and  bends  towards  the  fore- 


SUBTERRANEAN    CITIES. 


57 


58  SUBTERRANEAN    CITIES, 

part,  and  is  composed  of  a  scaly  head  and 
twelve  rings.  The  mouth  presents  two  hooks, 
above  which  are  seen  four  little  points,  two  on 
each  side,  besides  a  little  round  protuberance  by 
which  the  creature  receives  his  portion.  The 
workers  give  it  to  him  every  day,  and  there  is 
nothing  more  curious  than  to  see  the  young 
larvse  reaching  out  with  difficulty,  and  trying  to 
draw  near  to  their  nurse  in  order  to  receive 
from  her  mandibles  the  nourishing  fluid  she 
has  prepared  for  them. 

Such  care  must  necessarily  produce  excellent 
results.  The  larvae  having  become  large  and  fat, 
end  by  refusing  all  nourishment,  and  spin  them- 
selves a  shell  of  silk  of  a  close  texture,  very 
smooth,  round,  and  pale  yellow.  Beneath  the 
protection  of  this  elegant  case  they  tear  off  their 
skin,  and  afterwards  appear  in  all  points^  like  the 
perfect  insect.  But  their  limbs  are  still  weak 
and  delicate,  and  would  be  incapable  of  exertion. 
They  remain  motionless,  pass  from  white  to  pale 
yellow,  then  to  russet,  and  in  some  species 


SUBTERRANEAN   CITIES.  59 

brown  or  nearly  black.  This  is  the  moment 
awaited  by  the  workers.  They  then  approach, 
and  with  their  mandibles  make  a  cleft  in  the 
shell  and  divide  it  from  top  to  bottom.  They 

*_ 

remove  the  satin  pellicle  that  envelopes  our  little 
mummy,  pull  out  its  benumbed  feet,  support, 
encourage  it,  and  teach  it  the  way  through  all 
the  labyrinths  of  the  nest. 

The  power  of  the  tribe,  already  on  a  firm 
basis,  becomes  freshly  developed.  Some  brilliant 
black  flies,  with  their  delicate  wings  in  continual 
motion,  make  their  appearance  among  the  workers. 
These  are  the  male  and  female  population  of  the 
colony,  which  must  some  day  face  abroad,  and 
go  to  establish  new  families  at  a  distance. 

These  winged  ants,  issuing  from  darkness,  born 
under  ground,  appear  to  have  some  presage  of 
their  future  destiny.  They  are  anxious  and  rest- 
less, searching  for  an  issue  to  the  light,  blue  sky, 
and  wide  open  space  that  they  feel  must  exist. 
They  take  but  little  interest  in  what  passes  around 
them ;  their  hopes  direct  them  to  another  life. 


60  SUBTERRANEAN   CITIES. 

How  much  to  be  pitied  would  they  be  were  they 
endowed  with  such  instincts  in  human  society ! 

People  would  say  to  them,  "Why  do  you 
weary  us  with  your  senseless  desires,  your  wishes, 
your  doubts,  and  compel  us  to  think  of  a  lot  of 
things  we  have  nothing  to  do  with  ?  Submit  to 
the  common  lot  of  labour,  and  give  up  these 
foolish  fancies." 

These  are  wise  counsels,  and  yet  what  would 
become  of  the  ant-hill  unless  some  of  these  winged 
creatures  were  born  there  from  time  to  time  ? 
What  would  society  be  did  not  some  adventurous 
and  rash  individuals  occasionally  quit  the  beaten 
track  that  leads  to  security,  and  make  excursions 
over  hill  and  dale  at  the  risk  of  falling  into  a 
quagmire  ?  The  footpath  is  the  predecessor  of  a 
main  road,  and  it  is  very  necessary  for  some  one 
first  to  trace  it  out  if  one  is  not  to  go  for  ever 
in  one  unvarying  circle.  I  think- 
But  what  events  are  passing  in  our  under- 
ground city  ?  The  winged  ants,  in  ever-increasing 
numbers,  advance  in  crowds  towards  the  different 


SUBTERRANEAN   CITIES.  61 

exits,  endeavouring  to  escape  from  the  ant-hill. 
The  workers  resist,  clinging  to  them,  and  en- 
deavouring to  retain  them  by  force.  It  seems  as 
if  every  grain  of  sand  were  changed  into  a  living 
black  mass,  and  to  join  in  the  struggle.  Nothing 
can  be  seen  in  the  dim  light  but  bodies  entangled, 
heads  armed  with  mandibles,  and  the  glancing  of 


transparent  wings.  The  disturbance  extends,  be- 
comes general,  and  ascends  to  the  surface  of  the 
ground. 

Beautiful  and  poetical  allegories  have  been 
made  about  this  annual  departure,  with  all  its 
touching  varied  incidents. 


62  SUBTERRANEAN    CITIES. 

Often  has  it  been  said,  "Do  not  these  winged 
airy  beings,  so  eager  to  be  independent,  and  desirous 
of  pleasure,  represent  joyous  and  thoughtless  youth  ? 
And  are  not  these  workers,  faithful  and  devoted, 
taught  so  much  by  pain  and  labour,  the  living  re- 
presentation of  experience  and  good  sense  ?  Trem- 
bling for  those  they  love,  they  would  still  detain 
them,  provide  them  against  impending  danger,  and 
show  them  that  together  with  liberty  arises  indi- 
vidual responsibility,  increasing  in  like  proportion. 
They  are  no  longer  listened  to ;  the  flood  swells, 
rises,  and  will  soon  burst  the  dykes." 

This  idea  is  elegant,  but  not  correct.  If  the 
neuter  ants  are  full  of  sense,  they  have  not  the 
futile  wisdom  of  the  schoolmaster  in  La  Fontaine, 
who  made  a  long  discourse  to  the  drowning  boy 
instead  of  lending  him  a  helping  hand.  They 
understand  the  impatient  burning  desires  of  their 
winged  companions,  and  only  temporarily  oppose 
their  migration  in  order  to  ensure  its  success.  If 
a  ray  of  the  sun  appears,  a  clear  warm  sky,  or 
a  fine  day,  the  barriers  are  removed,  the  gates 


SUBTERRANEAN    CITIES. 


64  SUBTERRANEAN   CITIES. 

opened,  and  the  whole  band  impatiently  rising  at 
once,  fly  in  clouds  into  the  air. 

Our  ants  have  obtained  their  freedom,  and 
wander  joyfully  in  space.  Does  not  the  young 
girl  at  her  first  ball  feel  as  if  she  were  in  ethereal 
realms  of  poetry  ?  Does  slie  wish  to  know  what 
happens  to  the  insect,  small  though  it  be,  attired 
like  her  for  the  great  summer  season  ? 

The  ants  flit  backwards  and  forwards,  charmed 
with  their  emancipation,  and  happy  in  the  act  of 
living.  Each  seeks  for  one  to  love,  and  thus  they 
meet  at  last  in  a  blaze  of  light  beneath  the  blue 
sky,  amid  the  harmony  of  nature.  Then  they  stop 
in  their  rapid  flight,  shake  their  wings,  and 
find  them  useless.  Of  what  further  service  would 
they  be  except  to  fly  from  happiness  ?  A  bride, 
a  wife,  a  mother,  must  dream  no  longer !  such  is 
our  ant's  opinion ! 

Why  should  they  have  wrings  when  stationary 
for  ever  ?  Our  insects  resolutely  make  the  sacrifice, 
and  tear  them  off  by  waving  them,  so  as  to  weaken 
the  muscles  which  unite  them  to  the  corselet,  and 


SUBTERRANEAN    CITIES.  65 

inching  them  off  with  their  legs.  Thus  they  are 
uin  upon  the  ground,  walking  with  difficulty 
amoW  the  leaves,  and  prepared  to  struggle  with 
the  realities  of  life. 

While  they  had  wings  their  only  thought  was 
pleasure.  Their  duties  on  touching  the  earth 
become  higher,  nobler,  and  purer ;  they  have  to 
perpetuate  their  race. 

If  their  wayward  flight  has  not  led  them  too 
far  from  their  native  ant-hill,  the  workers  at  once 
Assemble  round  them,  to  cherish,  protect,  and  con- 
duct them  back  to  the  galleries,  where  they  be- 
come real  objects  of  worship,  for  maternity  makes 
them  sacred.  They  are  'overwhelmed  with  atten- 
tions, and  even  carried  from  one  place  to  another. 
The  body  of  tlie  female  is  hooked  up  and  sus- 
pended from  the  mandibles  of  her  bearer,  and 
rolled  like  a  butterfly's  trunk.  It  is  twiisted  so 
well  under  the  corselet  of  the  worker  as  'not  to 
inconvenience  its  motions.  At  times  they  think 
it  enough  to  drag  her ;  but  if  the  ant  entrusted 
with  this  burthen  becomes  weary,  another  takes 

F 


C6  SUBTERRANEAN    CITIES. 

the  place,  and  the  moment  she  is  thus  laid  down 
the  female  is  surrounded  by  her  court,  all  showing 
their  affection.  The  eggs  as  soon  as  produced 
are  gathered  and  brought  together  round  the 
mother. 

Such  is  the  lot  of  the  most  fortunate ;  but 
the  wind  bears  others  far  away  from  their  native 
spot,  and  they  find  they  are  left  to  their  own 
resources ;  but,  stimulated  by  maternal  affection, 
they  do  not  recoil  from  the  arduous  task  imposed 
on  them.  Alone,  without  helpers,  they  make 
abodes  for  themselves,  lay  their  eggs,  then  watch 
over  them,  and  bring  up  the  larvae. 

The  attachment  of  worker  ants  for  their  females 
appears  to  extend  beyond  their  existence.  When  a 
mother  dies,  five  or  six  of  her  followers  remain 
near  her,  brush  or  lick  her  without  ceasing  for 
several  days,  and  seem  as  if  they  wished  to  raise 
her  again  to  life  by  thus  attending  on  her. 

Such  was  the  political  economy  of  the  society 
of  black  ants  established  at  the  foot  of  our  great 
Pear-Tree.  We  have  seen  how  they  construct  their 


SUBTERRANEAN   CITIES.  67 

habitations,  bring  up  their  families,  and  perpetuate 
their  race. 

To  complete  this  study  and  make  it  more  in- 
teresting, we  will  collect  in  a  subsequent  chapter 
some  details  on  other  tribes  of  ants,  whose  works 
are  most  curious.  Some  of  them  too  live  in  my 
meadow,  and  their  habits  bring  them  likewise 
round  the  great  tree.  Thence  arise  terrible  com- 
bats, bloody  encounters,  and  fields  covered  with 
dead  and  wounded.  What  a  strange  business  it 
is !  At  times  the  ants  themselves  declare  war 
upon  one  another,  for  it  is  not  the  nations  of  mer 
alone  who  have  their  victories  or  suffer  defeats. 


F  2 


CHAPTER   V. 

AN   EXCURSION   INTO    THE    HYMENOPTEROUS    WORLD. 

.ONE  fine  summer  day  when  I  was  just  sixteen, 
I  took  ifc  into  my  head  to  produce  a  masterpiece. 
Sixteen  is  the  era  of  such  plans ;  but  they  are 
more  easily  conceived  than  executed,  although 
they  may  be  fair  in  the  germ.  They  generally 
come  into  the  world  with  such  grave  faults  of 
construction,  that  they  are  at  last  found  to  be 
hardly  substantial  enough  to  arrive  at  full  age. 
At  any  rate  I  seized  my  pen  at  once,  for  I  had 
no  doubts  of  myself  nor  of  others,  and  I  wrote 
a  very  fanciful  poem,  in  which  all  created  beings 
flung  themselves  into  a  Bacchanalian  ecstasy.  In 
it  I  represented  the  animals  holding  festival  and 


THE   HYMENOPTEROUS   WORLD.  69 

frolic,  dancing  and  gambolling  from  morning  to 
night,  and  man  among  them  all,  their  master  and 
their  king,  the  only  worker,  weary  with  the  noise 
of  their  everlasting  merriment. 

The  moral  to  be  deduced  from  such   an   idea 
can  be  easily  perceived.       On  the  one  hand,  life 


but  for  a  day,  joys  of  a  moment,  fleeting  plea- 
sures soon  interrupted  by  death  ;  on  the  other, 
deep  meditation,  consideration  for  the  future, 
heroic  sacrifices,  indefinite  perfectibility  .purchased 
at  the  price  of  great  sufferings. 

I   had  just   put   the   finishing    stroke    to    my 


70  AN   EXCURSION   INTO 

composition,  and  it  had  assumed  a  sufficiently 
presentable  shape,  with  the  slight  drawbacks  of 
a  few  bad  rhymes,  a  few  halting  lines,  several 
inflated  passages  in  bad  taste,  a  great  many  re- 
dundant adjectives,  and  a  thousand  more  details 
neglected  in  the  manufacture,  when  I  all  at  once 
perceived  that  the  beasts — these  poor  beasts  whom 
I  had  so  maligned — themselves  too  had  to  undergo 
severe  labour,  and  were  obliged  to  toil  as  wearily 
for  their  livelihood  as  ourselves. 

First,  the  mole,  a  prudent  creature  notwith- 
standing her  supposed  blindness,  showed  me  that 
she  had  to  burrow  in  the  earth  to  find  her  food. 
Then  I  remembered  that  the  beaver  is  a  clever 
engineer,  and  that  the  spider  has  nothing  to  learn 
from  our  weavers.  Besides,  I  called  to  mind  the 
green  woodpecker,  that  has  to  pierce  the  trees 
with  hundreds  of  blows  of  its  beak  before  it  can 
obtain  its  food ;  and  I  deliberated  with  fear  on 
the  quantity  of  kicks,  bites,  and  blows  endured 
by  an  individual  of  the  feline  race  before  the 
close  of  her  existence. 


THE   HYMENOPTEROUS   WORLD.  71 

Certainly  I  Lad  set  out  on  a  wrong  track,  and 
was  just  about  to  make  myself  very  ridiculous 
with  a  foolish  poem  under  my  arm.  Yet  let  it 
not  be  supposed  that  I  was  totally  discouraged  by 
this  discovery.  At  sixteen  one  is  not  cast  down 
by  such  a  trifle,  and  my  resolution  was  soon 
taken.  I  instantly  commenced  another  wurk,  not 
less  remarkable  than  the  first,  in  which  I  showed 
that  man,  far  from  being  superior  to  the  other 
animals,  owes  to  them  all  his  inventions. 

I  did  not  then  know  my  meadow ;  or  what  a 
likeness  could  I  have  traced  between  the  black 
or  tawny  ants  contending  for  the  hunting-grounds, 
of  which  my  old  Pear-Tree  forms  the  centre,  and 
certain  tribes  of  Indians  ! 

Lonely  expeditions  in  the  forest,  the  -discovery 
of  a  trail,  attacks,  surprises,  prudent  retreats, 
furious  combats,  capture  of  prisoners — what  ad- 
ventures to  describe !  Happily  for  the  reader  I 
am  past  sixteen,  and  will  go  straight  to  my  facts 

The  tawny  ants  are  divided  into  two  great 
nations,  distinguished  by  their  colour,  which  is 


72  AN   EXCURSION   INTO 

in  greater  or  less  proportions  of  black  or  red. 
The  first  inhabit  by  choice  the  large  woods,  and 
make  their  home  among  the  fern ;  the  others 
establish  themselves  in  hedges  and  meadows. 
Otherwise  their  habits  are  almost  alike. 

The  dwellings  of  these  ants  are,  composed 
of  pieces  of  stubble,  morsels  of  wood,  pebbles, 
half  broken  shells,  and  of  all  substances  of  easy 
transport  that  they  can  lay  their  hands  on. 
They  even  pick  up  grains  of  wheat,  barley,  and 
oats  as  building  material,  and  this  has  given  the 
notion  of  their  making  magazines  of  provisions 
for  winter  use.  Their  architects  are  very  skilful, 
and  invest  their  city  with  the  form  of  a  little 
mountain  or  dome,  with  buttresses  above  the 
ground  so  that  the  rain-water  may  the  easier 
run  off,  and  not  cause  irreparable  ravages.  Our 
insects  are  prudent,  and  wish  to  protect  themselves 
from  over-sudden  changes  of  temperature.  The 
greatest  portion  of  the  nest  is  hidden,  and  extends 
more  or  less  deeply  Tindtr  ground.  Avenues,  of 
funnel  shape  but  irregular,  lead  from  the  top  of 


THE   HYMENOPTEROUS   WORLD.  73 

the  building  to  the  interior.  In  number  they  are 
proportioned  to  the  population  of  the  colony,  and 
they  are  also  larger  or  smaller  at  their  opening. 
Occasionally  a  great  street,  the  central  artery  of 
daily  movement,  passes  from  one  end  to  the  other 
of  the  hill ;  many  roads,  of  nearly  equal  size  are 
often  found  there,  and  narrow  passages  all  around 
them  conducting  to  the  different  quarters-  of  the- 
city. 

Light  is  agreeable  to  the  tawny  ants,,  and  they 
care  not  for  the  presence  of  man.  They  run 
about  all  day  if  the  sky  is  clear,  and  go  home- 
at  the  approach  of  bad  weather,  or  at  nightfall. 
They  may  then  be  seen  carrying  little  stakes, 
which  they  plant  in  the  rampart  of  chaff  in 
order  to  close  up  the  entrances  of  their  galleries, 
after  which  they  fetch  some  more  smaller  ones, 
which  they  place  crosswise  against  the  first.  The 
barricades  thus  formed  are  strengthened  with  a 

o 

covering  of  dry  leaves,  and  the  ants  are  at  home. 
As  soon  as  the  city  gates  are  shut  sentries  are 
placed  there  to  watch  over  the  general  security, 


74 


AN   EXCURSION   INTO 


and  the  rest  of  the  tribe  take  their  repose. 
When  dawn  returns  animation  recommences  ; '  the 
sentries  are  relieved,  the  galleries  re-opened,  and 


the  general  thoroughfares  restored.  These  works 
are  done  regularly  morning  and  evening  through  the 
summer  season,  unless  it  is  decidedly  rainy  weather. 


THE   HYMENOPTEROUS   W 


In  this  case  the  inhabitants  of  the  ant-hill  do 
not  pursue  their  usual  course,  and  their  doors 
remain  closed. 

Such  is  the  nature  of  the  city  of  the  tawny 
ants  ;  let  us  see  how  they  proceed  in  constructing 
it.  Their  builders  are  at  work,  and  do  not  take 
any  further  notice  of  us  than  if  we  were  not 
lords  of  creation  !  The  word  is  given.  They 
have  a  consultation,  and  begin  by  excavating  in 
the  earth  a  smaller  or  larger  cavity.  Some  of  the 
ever-industrious  workers  go  to  seek  materials  in 
the  vicinity  fit  for  the  construction  of  the  ex- 
terior works,  and  arrange  them,  not  indeed  with 
symmetry,  but  with  care  to  .defend  the  entrance 
of  their  future  habitation.  Others  bring  portions 
of  the  earth  that  they  have  dug  up  in  making 
the  excavation  before  spoken  of,  combine  them 
with  the  materials  already  laid,  and  take  pains 
to  fill  the  spaces  and  make  the  -building  strong. 
To  judge  from  the  outside  one  would  think  that 
it  was  a  solid  mass,  but  we  know  that  it  is  not 
so.  The  interior  is  gradually  hollowed,  and  soon 


76  AN   EXCURSION   INTO 

divided  into  several  stages,  and  penetrated  by 
galleries  which,  though  low  and  rudely  constructed 
perfectly  fulfil  their  object  of  serving  as  a  place 
of  security  for  the  larvae  and  nymphse.  By 
degrees  a  large  hall  of  magnificent  proportions 
is  raised  in  the  centre  of  the  city.  It  is  much 
larger  than  the  other  chambers,  and  the  ceiling 
is  sustained  by  great  beams  curiously  supporting 
one  another.  All  the  galleries  lead  to  it,  and  the 
popular  assemblies  are  there  held. 

Another  tribe  of  ants,  the  soldier  or  sanguine, 
are  much  like  the  tawny  ants  ;  the  heads  and 
antennae  of  the  neuters  are  of  a  tawny  red,  their 
abdomen  ash-coloured  black.  Their  habitations  are 
composed  of  earth  mixed  with  bits  of  leaves,  blades 
of  grass,  moss,  and  little  stones,  and  are  generally 
found  in  hedges  lying  towards  the  south.  They 
present  this  remarkable  fact  to  be  observed,  that 
living  side  by  side  with  the  proper  sanguine  popu- 
lation is  another  of  helots  or  slaves,  condemned 
to  the  more  laborious  tasks.  It  is  a  mixed 
society,  rendered  very  formidable  to  its  neigh- 


THE    HYMEXOPTEROUS    WORLD.  77 

bours  by  its  military  organization,  and  whose 
warriors  have  acquired  much  fame  in  the  world 
of  hymenoptera  by  their  impetuous  valour. 

Behold  them  making  a  foray — traversing  any 
great  hollows  in  the  ground,  with  mandibles  raised 
on  high,  and  glaring  eyes,  seeking  their  enemies ! 
Suddenly  they  perceive  some  forms  of  ash-coloured 
black,  from  a  colony  not  far  from-  them. 

This  colony  is  of  the  humblest  sort,  for  the 
population  who  have  formed  it  only  possess  one 
simple  and  rude  ark.  They  excavated  the  ground, 
and,  bringing  it  grain  by  grain,  formed  a  vault 
and  covered  the  gate  of  the  city.  Then  under 
the  vault  the  workers  made  trenches  at  different 
distances,  and  of  a  nearly  equal  depth.  The 
rampart  of  earth  between  them  is  treated  with 
care  to  serve  as  a  support  for  the  walls  and  par- 
titions of  the  abodes.  It  is  not  very  fine  archi- 
tecture, but  what  can  a  wretched  insect  do  with 
no  chisel  save  its  teeth,  or  compasses  save  its  an- 
tennoe,  or  any  other  trowel  than  its  fore-feet  \ 

Poor    and    humble    as    it    is,    this   ant-hill   is 


78  AN    EXCURSION   INTO 

observed  by  the  soldiers,  and  having  held  a  council 
of  war,  they  determine  to  lay  siege  thereto.     Some 
warriors,  full  of  warlike   ardour,  advance   at  once 
to  the  camp  of  the  ash-coloured  blacks  or  negroes, 
and  spread  themselves  around  the  entrance.    Imme- 
diately the  inhabitants  of  the  menaced  community 
are  in  great  anxiety.     They  rush  into  their  galleries 
to  give  the  alarm,  and  advance  in  numbers,  bravely 
rushing    upon    the     intruders.      An    engagement 
ensues,  and  some  over-venturesome  sanguines  are 
overwhelmed   by  numbers  and   carried    into    cap- 
tivity.      Their    companions    are    contented    with 
defending  their  positions.     Calm  and  confident  in 
the   success   of   their   arms,   they  await   reinforce- 
ments.    Every  moment  small  bands  of   their  own 
party  come    to   join  and   increase  their   numbers. 
By    degrees     they    approach     the     camp     of    the 
negroes,  and  seem  more  willing  to  come  to  close 
quarters ;    but    the    more    they   mingle    with    the 
besieged,  the   more  they   seem   in   haste   to    send 
couriers  to  their  own  nest.     These  last  arrive  in 
haste,  deliver   their  message,  give  orders,  and   at 


THE   HYMENOPTEROUS   WORLD.  79 

once  a  new  swarm  starts  to  join  the  army.  Yet 
the  sanguines  do  not  hasten  to  give  battle,  and 
only  alarm  the  negroes  by  keeping  their  ground. 
The  latter  occupy  a  space  of  two  square  feet  in 
front  of  their  ant-hill  ;  the  greater  part  of  the 
nation  has  come  forth  to  take  part  in  the 
struggle.  Around  the  parallels  of  attack  are  now 
to  be  seen  individual  conflicts,-  and  generally  it 
is  the  besieged  who  attack  the  besiegers.  A 
vigorous  defenee  might  be  expected,  from  the 
great  numbers  of  the  negroes,  but  they  are  not 
confident  in  their  forces,  and  are  oppressed  by  the 
thought  of  the  Burslings  confided  to  them,  and  of 
the  methods  of  securing  their  republic  from  entire 
destruction. 

Long  before  the  issue  of  the  contest  can  be 
foreseen  they  may  be  observed  carrying  their 
larvae  out  of  the  caves,  and  heaping  them  lap  at 
the  side  opposite  to  that  assaulted.  Thus  they  can 
more  easily  convey  them  off  ifr  contrary  to  all  ex- 
pectation, victory  does  not  favour  the  right !  The 
young  females  also  hurry  in  the  same  direction. 


80  AN   EXCURSION    INTO 

It  is  only  just  in  time,  for  the  storm  draws 
near,  and  the  thunder  will  soon  break  in  the 
midst  of  this  terrified  population.  The  soldiers, 
now  in  force,  throw  themselves  on  the  enemy, 
attack  them  at  all  points,  and  even  reach  the 
dome  of  the  city.  The  negroes,  after  a  deter- 
mined conflict,  give  up  the  defence,  arid,  seizing 
the  nymphse  they  had  heaped  together  outside  the 
ant-hill,  raise  them  in  their  mandibles,  and  run 
off  in  all  directions.  The  soldiers  pursue  them, 
and  endeavour  to  carry  off  the  treasure.  In  the 
midst  of  the  -defeat  some  blacks  with  admirable 
devotion  still  resist,  strive  to  penetrate  into  the 
low  passages  to  convey  off  some  larvae  from 
thence,  and  are  at  least  secure  of  the  honour 
of  perishing  on  the  field  of  battle. 

Alas !  there  is  a  moment  when  heroism 
becomes  madness.  The  city  is  given  over  to  be 
pillaged.  The  soldiers  run  all  over  it,  seize 
the  whole  of  the  avenues,  and  seem  as  if  they 
would  take  possession  of  the  devastated  nest. 
Dividing  into  squadrons,  they  proceed  to  carry 


THE   HYME^OPTEROUS   WORLD.  81 

off  any  larvae  and  nymphse  that  may  have  been 
loft  behind.  They  establish  a  continuous  chain 
from  one  habitation  to  the  other,  and  employ 
the  rest  of  the  day  in  housing  their  plunder. 
At  nightfall,  when  of  necessity  the  work  must 
cease,  all  is  not  yet  under  cover.  This  is  pro- 
vided for  ;  a  post  of  sanguines  keeps  watch  in 
the  city  taken  by  assault  to  keep  off  other 
depredators. 

Next  day  at  dawn  they  begin  again  to  bear 
off  their  prey ;  while  the  vanquished  nation, 
resigned  to  their  fate,  found  a  new  colony 
elsewhere. 

Every  year  these  sanguine  ants  make  five  or 
six  such  expeditions  to  provide  themselves  with 
slaves  and  assistants.  Born  for  fighting,  they 
understand  no  domestic  labours.  It  is  their 
slaves  to  whom  is  entrusted  the  task  of  con- 
structing their  galleries,  of  tending  the  larvae 
and  nymphae,  and  of  all  the  little  labours  of 
their  common  life.  The  negroes  which  have 
become  captives  have  no  idea  of  escaping  from 

G 


82  AN    EXCURSION    INTO 

their  conquerors.  They  receive  them  with  delight 
as  they  come  home  from  their  hunting  expeditions, 
and  devote  themselves  to  their  service  with  un- 
alloyed zeal. 


Really,  is  not  all  this  very  strange?  What! 
can  miserable  insects  speak  of  their  campaigns, 
recount  their  wounds,  and  boast  of  their  ex- 


THE    HYM.ENOPTEHOUS    WORLD.  83 

ploits  ?  Doubtless !  but  our  self-love  need  not 
take  offence  :  they  have  not  yet  invented  any 
needle-gun  nor  improved  rifled  cannon.  Besides, 
they  only  fight  when  necessary,  and  do  not  know 
how  to  enjoy  a  triumph.  We  are  more  advanced 
in  that  way,  thanks  to  our  civilization ;  not  only 
do  we  fight  when  compelled  by  circumstances, 
but  also  for  glory,  the  honour  of  the  flag,  and 
the  pleasure  of  conquest.  Indeed,  as  chronicles 
say,  we  often  take  up  arms  without  knowing 
why,  without  even  asking  why.  Such  facts  are 
enough  to  insure  to  us  an  unquestioned  supe- 
riority over  the  wretched  ants. 

The  nation  of  sanguines  not  only  owns  slaves, 
but  also  breeds  numerous  herds.  It  is  true  that 
their  cattle  are  not  much  like  ours.  They  are 
of  all  colours,  green,  white,  bronze,  or  pearl  grey. 
Many  browse  peacefully  on  the  old  Pear-Tree,  and 
they  are  as  brown  as  if  dipped  in  coffee.  They  are 
small  insects,  having  six  slender  little  feet.  At 
the  end  of  their  solid  potbellied  bodies  are  found 
two  tubes,  terminated  by  a  kind  of  mouth. 

G  2 


84  AX    EXCURSION    INTO 

Some  of  those  insects  have  wings,  and  all  have 
two  long  horns  bent  over  their  backs,  and  are 
fed  by  means  of  a  trunk  that  they  insert 
into  vegetable  tissues. 

Is    not    this    description    very    plain,    like    all 
other    descriptions  ?    In    case    the    reader    cannot 


find  the  answer  to  the  riddle  (which  would  be 
no  surprise  to  us),  we  will  make  haste  to  explain 
it.  The  milch-cows  of  the  ants  are  no  other 
than  plant-lice  (aphides). 

Who    has    not    seen    them    encircling    flower 
stems,  slipping   under   the    bark   of    trees,    assem- 


THE    HYMENOPTEROUS    WORLD,  85 

bling  on  the  foot-stalk  of  leaves,  in  a  hideous 
mass  side  by  side,  motionless,  apparently  almost 
inert,  leaving  round  them  sweet,  sticky  spots?  The 
ants  are  very  fond  of  this  honey,  which  passes 
from  two  tubes  we  have  described  as  adorning 
the  bodies  of  the  plant-lice.  They  climb  to  the 
highest  branches  to  gather  it,  and  force  the 
insect  that  produces  it  to  deliver  it  up  to  them 
by  striking  it  with  their  antennae.  The  dark 
ants  especially,  and  some  other  species,  have 
recourse  to  this  curious  proceeding  in  order  to 
obtain  food.  A  few  draughts  are  enough  to 
satisfy  them.  The  red  ant  dexterously  seizes  the 
little  drop  of  liquor  with  the  swollen  extremity 
of  the  antennse,  which  she  carries  to  her  mouth, 
using  these  organs  as  though  they  really  were 
fingers. 

The  yellow  ants,  who  hardly  ever  leave  their 
underground  dwellings,  are  always  surrounded  by 
a  great  number  of  plant-lice.  Other  species,  at 
once  more  ingenious  and  more  prudent,  build 
special  habitations  for  them,  and  collect  them 


86  AX    EXCURSION    INTO 

there.  These  houses  are  in  different  shapes. 
Sometimes  they  are  like  a  sphere,  with  the  stalk 
of  a  plant  for  its  axis,  and  the  lower  part 
pierced  with  a  very  small  hole.  In  other  cases, 
when  made  by  the  red  ants,  they  are  composed 
of  a  pipe  about  two  inches  and  a  half  long  and 
nearly  as  large  across.  M.  Huber,  to  whom  we 
owe  so  many  interesting  observations  on  ants, 
found  one  of  these  cases  intended  for  their 
cattle  raised,  five  feet  from  the  ground  on  a 
small  branch  of  a  poplar,  just  as  it  sprung  from 
the  trunk.  It  was  composed  of  rotten  wood, 
and  consisted  of  a  short  blackish  tube.  The 
ants  entered  it  from  the  inside  of  the  tree  by 
several  excavations,  and  crept  in  through  an 
opening  made  at  the  root  of  the  branch  without 
exposing  themselves  to  the  daylight. 

The  plant-lice  of  the  common  plantain  retire 
under  the  root  leaves  when  the  stem  dries  up. 
The  ants  follow  them  there,  and  shut  themselves 
up  with  them  by  filling  with  moist  earth  all  the 
intervals  between  the  ground  arid  the  edge  of 


THE    HYMENOPTEROUS    WORLD.  87 

the    leaves.       Then   excavating   the    soil    beneath, 
they     obtain     more    space    for     approaching    the 


prisoners,    and    arrange    galleries   leading    to   their 
own   dwelling. 

These  works   are  not    useless,    for  they  secure 
them    victuals   for   rainy    days.      Indeed   the   ants 


SS  AN   EXCURSION   INTO 

do  not  become  torpid  at  less  than  two  degrees 
below  freezing,  and  when  it  is  not  cold  their 
activity  is  not  checked.  At  such  times  they 
would  be  in  danger  of  perishing  without  especial 
resources.  The  plant-lice  furnish  what  they  want, 
and — a  most  extraordinary  fact — they  become 
torpid  at  the  same  temperature  as  their  guardians, 
and  awake  from  their  lethargy  at  the  same  time 
as  they  do.  The  kinds  of  ants  that  have  not 
the  instinct  of  appropriating  them  to  themselves 
at  least  know  the  spots  where  they  are  in  hiding, 
and  bring  back  to  their  companions  the  small 
quantity  of  honey  they  have  gathered  from  them. 
They  charitably  distribute  these  liquid  juices, 
whose  evaporation  is  very  slow,  indeed  almost 
insensible. 

The  preservation  of  plant-lice  is  of  so  much 
importance  to  the  ants  that  they  even  go  and 
collect  the  eggs  of  these  insects.  This  M.  Huber 
has  absolutely  observed  the  yellow  ants  doing. 
They  gather  and  guard  these  eggs,  lick  them  conti- 
nually, cover  them  with  a  gluten  that  fastens  them 


THE    HYMENOPTEROUS    WORLD.  80 

together,  and,  in  short,  perform  all  the  cares 
necessary  for  their  welfare.  They  perform  this 
task  so  well  that  the  precious  germs  bear  fruit 
inside  the  ant-hill  as  well  as  in  their  natural 
position. 

Could  one  belie ve  that  a  solitude  is  so  replete 
with  life  without  having  studied  the  mysteries 
of  a  tuft  of  grass  ? 


CHAPTER   VI. 

WANDERING    TRIBES. 

WHILE  the  labours  of  the  ants  were  taking 
up  my  whole  attention,  the  wind  had  gradually 
risen ;  it  bent  the  flexible  stems  of  grass,  and 
made  them  glitter  in  the  sun  like  ribands  of 
crystal  with  dazzling  lustre.  The  aspect  of 
the  meadow  changed,  and  my  thoughts  insensibly 
took  another  course.  I  ceased  to  observe  what 
passed  around  me,  to  listen  to  the  rustle  of  the 
grass,  the  buzzing  of  insects,  and  the  thou- 
sand noises  resounding  through  space,  coming 
from  no  one  knows  where,  rising,  increasing^ 
and  diminishing,  and  all  blending  together  in  an 
indefinable  harmony. 


WANDERING   TRIBES.  91 

Some  twigs  of  the  old  Pear-Tree  were  put  slightly 
in  motion,  stretching  their  long  pale  green  stems 
against  the  cloudy  background  of  the  sky;  soon 
the  young  leaves  began  to  flap,  making  gleams 
of  reflecting  light  around  ;  then  all  were  shaken 
at  once,  producing  a  heavy  and  prolonged  sound 
like  the  distant  echo  of  a  church  organ.  One  of 
them  all  at  once  was  broken  off  from  the  branch 
it  grew  upon,  was  lifted  and  whirled  about  in 
the  air,  wandered  for  some  time  round  my  head, 
and  at  last  fell  near  me  on  a  tuft  of  wormwood 
reflecting  pale  silvery  light.  Its  foot-stalk  had 
been  eaten  away  by  some  insect,  and  this  had 
occasioned  its  fall  before  the  early  chills  of 
autumn.  On  the  outer  side  between  two  veins 
lay  a  '  sort  of  sheath  of  a  brown  colour  and 
quite  dried  up.  All  round  this  sheath,  too  skil- 
fully constructed  not  to  be  a  habitation,  extended 
a  white  discoloured  spot,  making  a  marked  inroad 
on  the  rest  of  the  leaf,  still  green  and  fleshy. 

This  sheath  excited  my  curiosity,  and  I  soon 
discovered  the  use  of  it.  It  served  as  a  shelter 


92  WANDERING    TRIBES. 

to    a   little   caterpillar   belonging  to  the  numerous 
and  powerful  family  of  Tinese. 

This  little  caterpillar,  though  common,  is  never- 
theless not  easy  to  find.  Like  the  Arab  shepherds, 
it  bears  along  with  it  a  light  tent,  often  changing 
its  residence — quits  the  realms  of  dearth  and  moves 
to  those  where  food  is  abundant.  Its  tent  is  the 
sheath  that  protects  its  frail  and  delicate  body 
from  the  attacks  of  its  enemies  ;  the  territory 
it  roams  over  is  a  light  leaf  waving  in  the  least 
breeze.  Behold  it,  after  one  moment's  astonish- 
ment at  the  aerial  flight  just  performed,  advancing 
with  head  down  and  tail  in  the  air,  all  the  time 
enclosed  in.  the  sheath.  At  length  it  pauses, 
makes  a  slight  cut  in  the  leaf,  and  sliding  between 
the  two  pellicles  that  form  its  surfaces,  devours 
their  contents.  When  all  within  reach  is  con- 
sumed, and  it  appears  that  no  more  nourishment 
can  be  obtained  without  entirely  coming  out  of 
the  sheath,  it  again  sets  out  on  its  travels, 
again  takes  up  a  fresh  position,  and  repeats  the 
same  manoeuvres. 


I 


WANDERING   TRIBES.  93 

These  sheaths  are  found  not  only  on  the  pear 
but  also  on  the  elm,  the  alder,  and  on  some  other 
trees.  When  the  constructors,  who,  though  they 
are  all  of  the  same  family,  have  different  tastes, 
use  notched  leaves,  they  dispose  the  notches  in 
such  a  way  as  to  give  the  most  curious  appearance 
to  their  habitations.  Their  tent  strongly  resembles 


a  miniature  brown  fi^fo,  placed  upright,  and  showing 
the  profile  of  its  long  dorsal  fin  like  a  saw. 

If  the  Tineee  are  pulled  out  of  their  garment, 
they  display  the  greatest  distress,  and  set  to 
work  at  once  to  make  a  new  covering.  They 
begin  by  passing  the  head  between  the  two  mem- 
branes of  a  leaf  and  lodge  in  its  thickness. 
There  they  are  under  cover,  and  only  have  to 
cut  out  their  coat.  This  must  be  made  of  two 


94 


WANDERING    TRIBES. 


similar  pieces  united  above  and  below  them.  The 
two  pellicles  that  they  have  separated  make  the 
cloth.  They  know  their  trade ;  they  cut  to  right 
and  left  with  their  mandibles, 
which  make  an  excellent  pair 
of  scissors,  and  join  the  two 
pieces  as  they  lie  one  above 
the  other  with  threads  of 
silk.  These  garments  always 
fit  their  owners,  and  are 
sometimes  very  elegant.  An 
old  Tinea  near  its  transform- 
ation will  never  muffle  itself 
up  like  a  young  caterpillar 
on  its  first  campaign.  How 
many  old  beaux,  decking 
their  mature  age  in  a  vernal 
scabbard,  should  be  sent  to  the  school  of  the 
Tinese!  How  many  tailors,  not  to  say  dress- 
makers, would  do  well  to  be  apprenticed  for 
some  time  on  my  great  Pear-Tree,  and  study 
there  the  true  principles  of  their  art ! 


WANDERING    TRIBES.  9'5 

Indeed  the  always  tasteful  toilet  of  the  insects 


is    admirably    adapted    to    their    habits,    and    ar- 
ranged    for     their     individual    peculiarities     and 


9G  WANDERING    TRIBES. 

makes  a  complete  finish  to  them,  and  sets  them 
off  in  a  most  curious  way.  Have  our  workmen 
any  such  artistic  ideas  ?  The  tinsel  robes  in 
which  they  muffle  us,  cut  in  one  pattern,  on 
pretext  of  fashion,  have  not  in  a  general  way 
the  least  relation  to  our  peculiarities. 

Let  us  pursue  the  Tinea  of  the  elm  through 
her  various  transformations.  Here  she  is  escaping 
from  her  shell,  no  longer  as  a  caterpillar,  but 
provided  with  antennae,  ready  to  take  her  flight 
as  a  perfect  insect.  Her  wings  glisten  with  gold 
and  silver,  and  at  their  points  small  spots  of 
velvety  black  set  off  to  greater  advantage  the 
metallic  lustre.  Another  variety  which  lives  on 
the  leaves  of  the  nut-tree  has  its  fore  wings  like 
a  cock's  tail,  and  banded  transversely  with 
alternate  stripes  of  dead  gold  and  burnished 
silver.  Two  little  fine  and  delicate  white  tufts 
adorn  their  heads  with  splendid  plumes.  Had 
King  Solomon  in  all  his  glory,  when  going  to 
meet  the  Queen  of  Sheba,  richer  and  more  sump- 
tuous vestments  than  these  ? 


WANDERING   TRIBES.  97 

Large  animals  are  coarsely  sketched  by 
Nature,  while  she  seems  to  have  reserved  the 
choicest  gems  of  her  rich  cabinet  for  the  smaller. 
Like  those  artists  of  the  Middle  Ages  who  delighted 
to  carve  numberless  little  figures  between  two 
blocks  of  stone  and  place  them  too  high  up  to 
be  seen,  she  reserves  her  special  care  for  the 
minutest  details  of  the  great  work.  The  bodies 
of  most  caterpillars  present  such  a  mixture  of 
marvellously  shaded  colours,  that  the  most  skilful 
weaver  could  never  reproduce  such  delicate  com- 
binations. These  shapeless  worms  crawling  on 
the  ground,  and  almost  always  hidden,  have  most 
splendid  decorations.  Some  are  marked  with 
dots  of  divers  hues,  and  a  variety  of  spots ; 
others  have  stripes,  diamonds,  and  bands  of  all 
sizes.  Sometimes  these  markings  give  place  to 
little  tubercles  projecting  from  the  skin  like  so 
many  precious  stones.  "Who  has  not  seen  sv  arms 
of  insects  rise  and  sparkle  in  the  sun,  copper- 
plated,  engraved,  and  enamelled  in  the  most 
fantastic  manner  ?  Could  we  ever  be  able  to 

H 


98  WANDERING   TRIBES. 

possess  such  a  picture  ?  Besides,  how  should  we 
get  the  silk  which  is  our  pride  of  adornment 
without  robbing  a  humble  larva  of  the  soft 
envelope  in  which  she  has  concealed  herself? 

.  Some  varieties  of  Tinese  are  more  ambitious 
than  those  that  inhabit  our  old  Pear-Tree,  and  are 
in  the  habit  of  making  themselves  more  solid  and 
durable  cases.  They  live  on  walls,  feeding  on 
lichen,  and  gather  small  stones  around  them  to 
build  little  cornucopia-shaped  cells,  large  at  one 
end  and  tapering  towards  the  other.  When  ready 
to  change  into  chrysalides,  they  firmly  fix  their 
house  to  the  surface  of  the  wall  where  they  were 
born,  there  undergo  their  transformation,  and  issue 
at  length,  proudly  displaying  to  the  light  of  day 
two  little  bronzed  and  sparkling  wings. 

But  the  life  of  caterpillars  is  not  all  rose- 
coloured,  and  all  who  have  the  will  do  not  attain 
to  the  winged  state.  Some  are  left  behind  on 
the  way,  and  might  justly  deplore  their  hard 
fate !  Not  only  do  birds  wage  ceaseless  war  upon 
them,  but  they  have  also  a  formidable  enemy, 


WANDERING    TRIBES. 

who  glides  into  the  thickest  brakes,  between  the 
tree  and  its  bark,  among  tufts  of  grass,  wherever 
they  hide,  and  prepares  for  them  a  shocking 
death,  preceded  by  most  bitter  pangs.  They 
dread  his  approach,  perceive  his  coming,  shudder 
at  the  sight  of  him,  and  yet  cannot  escape  his 
terrible  power.  There  he  is,  flitting  above  them 
like  a  vampire,  grazing  them  with  his  gauze 
wings,  for  such  he  has,  and  searching  for  the 
spot  where  to  alight  on  their  soft  defenceless 
body.  The  bark  of  our  old  Pear-Tree  is 
covered  with  these  deadly  foes,  and  we  can  easily 
observe  them  there  actively  coursing  in  all  di- 
rections. 

This  formidable  insect,  the  sound  of  whose 
wings  is  the  death -knell  of  numbers  of  lepi- 
doptera,  is  shaped  like  a  long  thin  fly,  with  small 
head  and  very  slender  antennae.  It  has  four 
wings  attached  to  the  corselet,  the  two  upper  ones 
the  longest.  It  has  six  tolerably  long  legs, 
especially  the  hinder  ones.  The  body  is  lengthy, 
and  only  joined  to  the  thorax  by  a  very  fine  thread. 

H  2 


100  WANDERING    TKIBES. 

It  is  known  by  the  sufficiently  crabbed  name  of 
Ichneumon. 

There  are  a  vast  number  of  species,  and  all 
carnivorous,  but  with  notable  differences  in  their 
customs.  Some  are  black  with  ferruginous  legs ; 
others  have  tawny  feet  and  short  tails ;  some 
varieties  are  speckled ;  others  are  found  with 
black  heads  and  yellow  stomachs ;  brown,  tawny, 
variegated,  and  white  ones  are  also  met  with. 
Their  females  seem  to  bear  three  stings  of  equal 
length,  but  really  have  only  one,  that  in  the 
middle,  the  two  lateral  appendages  being  only 
hollow  blades,  that  when  applied  together  form 
a  sheath  for  the  true  sting.  This  sheath  is 
black  and  hairy.  The  dart  it  covers  is  round, 
stiff  pointed,  hollow,  and  pierced  near  the  ex- 
tremity. Its  dark  colour  inclines  to  chestnut, 
and  its  surface  is  smooth. 

Now  we   know   the   actors  in   the  drama,  let 
us  place  them  on  the  stage. 

And  indeed  as  we  look  on  the  Pear-Tree  we 
perceive,  with   its    body   adhering   to  one   of  the 


WANDERING 

branches,  a  very  common  hairy  caterpillar,  with 
blue,  brown,  and  white  stripes  on  its  back.*  The 
head  is  of  a  greenish  blue,  specked  with  two 
small  black  spots.  It  is  motionless,  being  gorged 
with  leaves,  and  is,  besides,  on  the  point  of 
spinning  its  cocoon. 


This  is  one  of  the  usual  victims  of  the  yellow- 
footed  Ichneumon. 

When  she  discovers  it  she  descends  on  it, 
clings  to  the  skin,  and  bores  it  with  her  auger. 
In  vain  does  the  caterpillar  struggle ;  however 
energetic  is  the  resistance,  it  is  thenceforward 
condemned,  and  nothing  can  save  it  from  death. 

*  The  lackey. 


102  WANDERING   TRIBES. 

The  wound  just  inflicted  is  filled  with  a  number 
of  eggs,  and  from  them  will  issue  as  many 
voracious  larvae,  destined  to  live  at  its  cost  and 
feed  upon  its  substance.  At  first  it  appears  not 
to  suspect  its  condition,  and  its  habits  seem 
unchanged.  The  young  larvae  that  devour  it  are 
very  careful  not  to  attack  the  vital  organs,  as 
that  would  kill  it  outright  and  imperil  their  own 
existence.  It  was  only  man  who,  in  conse- 
quence of  his  superior  intelligence,  ever  thought 
of  killing  the  goose  with  the  golden  eggs !  Our 
young  Ichneumons,  born  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder 
of  existence,  are  too  stupid  to  imagine  such  an 
idea.  They  act  prudently,  take  care  of  their 
nurse,  and  only  remove  a  fatty  substance  sufficient 
for  their  wants,  of  which  she  possesses  abundance. 
Yet  a  time  arrives  when  the  caterpillar,  though 
so  long  spared,  must  perish  at  last.  The  larvae 
having  preyed  upon  it  till  nothing  is  left  but 
skin,  pierce  it  with  their  teeth,  and  issue  forth 
to  make  their  final  change.  Their  victim  may 
then  be  seen  covered  with  little  cocoons  of 


WANDERING    TRIBES. 


103 


yellow  silk,  moving  tardily  about,  till  at  last 
he  falls  on  the  ground,  and  there  his  miserable 
existence  terminates. 

Yet   occasionally   his  enemies  allow  him  time 
to  turn  into  a  chrysalis,  but  still  the    conclusion 


of  the  drama  is  always  the  same.  Innumerable 
worms  issue  from  the  chrysalis,  and  covering  it 
with  their  cocoons,  a  brood  of  flies  issue  from 
their  lepidopterous  cradle. 

As  we  have  before  said,  the  race  of  Ichneumons 
is  very   numerous,  and  we  ought  to  be    thankful 


104  WANDERING   TRIBES. 

for  it,  for  without  their  presence  all  the  fruits  of 
the  earth  would  be  devoured  before  reaching  our 
tables.  Besides  making  war  on  caterpillars,  they 
even  sometimes  lay  their  microscopic  germs  in  the 
egg  of  a  butterfly,  and  their  tiny  larvae  find 
board  and  lodging  there.  They  only  exist  by 
means  of  destruction,  and  rise  alive  from  the 
bosom  of  decomposition. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

NOTES    OF   THE    TRAVELS    OF    A    CENTIPEDE. 

A  GREAT  cloud,  fully  'charged  with  electricity 
was  forming  on  the  horizon.  It  rose  by  degrees, 
mingling  its  grey  tones  with  the  blue  of  the  sky, 
and  at  last  extended  all  over  my  meadow.  The 
irregular  shadow  covered  the  grass,  and  only 
allowed  one  feeble  sunbeam  to  pass,  and  that 
struck  upon  a  ridge  of  bark  on  the  surface  of  the 
old  Pear-Tree. 

Something  was  moving  on  this  spot,  which 
was  now  in  the  full  light.  There  might  be  seeD 
a  black  head,  round  and  very  flat,  with  two  bent 
antennae  issuing  from  it.  The  motions  of  the 


106  NOTES    OF   THE 

creature  were  full  of  anxiety  and  indecision.  It 
was  coming  up,  going  down  again,  was  lost  sight 
of  for  a  moment,  then  reappeared,  and  seemed  in 
great  perplexity,  until  at  last  it  issued  completely 
from  its  hiding-place  and  crawled  down  the  tree, 
dragging  after  it  a  kind  of  tawny  ribbon,  that 
slipped  over  the  asperities  of  the  bark  like  a 
trail  of  syrup.  This  tawny  ribbon,  on  which,  by 
closer  inspection,  I  saw  a  number  of  articulations, 
was  nothing  else  than  the  body  of  an  animal 
borne  on  thirty  little  legs,  trotting  mincingly 
along,  and  each  terminated  by  a  hook.  The 
last  pair  were  turned  upwards,  terminating  in 
bristles,  so  as  to  form  a  forked  tail. 

Head,  body,  and  tail,  when  they  reached  the 
ground,  began  by  one  consent  to  wriggle,  forming 
a  creature  of  no  good  report,  the  Scolopendra  or 
Centipede.*  It  is  generally  found  under  stones, 
in  dark  places,  at  the  base  of  walls,  among  the 
fibre  of  old  stumps,  wherever  the  air  is 
tainted,  dark,  and  heavy.  The  powerful  loco- 

*  This  is  the  large  species,  which  is  happily  not  to  be  found  in  England. 


TllAVELS    OF   A    CENTIPEDE. 


107 


108  NOTES   OF   THE 

motive  apparatus  that  is  its  characteristic  is  only 
acquired  by  age.  Successive  additions  compose 
its  being,  and  each  of  its  rings  is  equivalent  to  a 
mark  of  antiquity. 

Just  as  the  Scolopendra  made  its  appearance 
on  the  meadow,  a  swarm  of  little  insects,  hardly 
to  be  seen  by  very  good  eyes,  but  whose  curious 
structure  I  could  easily  distinguish,  thanks  to 
the  second  sight  that  I  enjoyed,  were  jumping 
among  the  grass  from  stalk  to  stalk,  with 
wonderful  agility.  They  might  have  been  taken 
for  a  band  of  squirrels,  lost  in  a  grassy  forest, 
making  it  alive  with  their  incessant  activity. 
They  had  on  their  backs  a  sort  of  mane,  bore  two 
antennae  bent  forwards,  and  sprang  from  one 
place  to  another  by  means  of  a  long  elastic  tail 
that  they  pressed  upon  the  ground  at  the  moment 
of  making  their  spring.  They  were  the  Poduras 
(Skip tails),  an  especially  cosmopolitan  race,  who 
plant  their  colonies  in  the  fields,  and  even  on  the 
surface  of  stagnant  water,  and  also  on  the  snow 
in  the  coldest  regions  of  the  globe. 


TRAVELS    OF   A   CENTIPEDE.  109 

They  described  around  me  numberless  ca- 
pricious circuits,  when  one  of  them  falling  to  the 
ground,  was  all  at  once  enveloped  in  a  tawny 
cloud,  and  disappeared  under  the  grass.  Another 
and  another  suffered  the  same  fate  without  their 
absence  being  remarked  by  their  comrades.  The 
Scolopendra  was  in  ambush,  and  satiating  itself 
with  its  favourite  food. 

"Decidedly,"  thought  I,  "here  is  a  tribute 
quickly  levied.  If  a  man  did  as  much,  his 
tongue  would  not  be  long  enough  to  boast  of  his 
exploits,  and  he  would  need  to  employ  those  of 
others  to  trumpet  his  fame." 

The  Scolopendra  thought  otherwise.  She  left 
her  post  of  observation,  climbing  carelessly  towards 
a  slope,  stopped  behind  a  pebble,  resumed  her 
march,  and  arrived  at  a  round  hole  dug  in  the 
sand,  not  far  from  the  lines  of  circumvallation 
that  had  been  traced  by  the  mole-cricket.  She 
put  her  head  into  the  hole,  and  quickly  taking  it 
out  again  hastened  to  hide  under  a  dry  leaf 

Her   alarm   was   not    without   cause.      A   dull 


110  NOTES   OF   THE 

sound  was  heard  from  the  bottom  of  the  sub- 
terranean habitation  that  she  had  discovered,  like 
the  distant  murmuring  of  a  fountain,  giving  notice 
to  all  comers  that  if  this  retreat  contained  a 
treasure,  there  was  also  a  dragon  to  guard  it. 

The  noise  increased,  and  with  it  in  proportion 
grew  my  curiosity.  Imagination  is  excited  by  the 
approach  of  the  unknown,  under  the  continual 
expectation  of  discovering  a  novelty. 

In  much  excitement  I  said  to  myself,  "  What 
am  I  going  to  see  ?  Nature  is  so  rich,  and  my 
knowledge  is  still  so  poor." 

Nevertheless  I  rejoiced  in  my  agitation,  as  it 
promised  me  new  discoveries.  Nothing  proves 
ou>f  imperfection  so  much  as  this  necessity  6f 
escaping  from  oneself,  and  mingling  with  the 
life  of  others.  The  mind,  like  the  body,  requires 
food.  It  is  only  nourished  by  successive  assimi- 
lations, starves  when  solitary,  and  dies  of  inani- 
tion at  the  end  of  too  strict  a  fast. 

Thank  Heaven  that  was  not  my  case.  I  was 
a  fresh  enough  guest  in  my  stall  in  Nature's 


TRAVELS    OF    A    CENTIPEDE. 


Ill 


theatre,  and   patiently    awaited   the  rising  of    the 
curtain. 

I  had  not  long  to  wait.  A  dark  object 
suddenly  appeared  at  the  opening  of  the  cave, 
storming  and  buzzing  in  a  most  menacing  fashion, 


as  if  to  complain  of  the  mischief-maker  that  had 
dared  to  cross  the  threshold.  Then  I  saw,  not  a 
dragon,  but  a  great  fly  of  the  bee  family.  It 
passed  without  the  smallest  concern  over  the 
web  of  a  little  spider,  which  contented  itself 
with  humbly  pulling  a  string  on  its  passage. 


112  NOTES    OF   THE 

The   Scolopendra   was   invisible,    and   not    even 
the  tips  of  her  antennae  could  be  seen. 

When  the  fly  had  made  some  circles  in  the 
air,  she  returned  to  her  nest,  brushed  her  wings 
with  delight,  threw  out  a  few  grains  of  sand 
that  had  stuck  between  the  ruddy  bristles  that 
covered  her  body,  and  re-entered  'the  house.  She 
went  some  distance  along  a  narrow  tubular  gallery 
with  very  smooth  walls,  and  came  to  a  sort  of 
lump  made  of  earth  glued  together,  separate  from 
the  ground,  pierced  full  of  holes,  and  containing 
a  quantity  of  little  chambers  varnished  inside 
and  very  comfortable.  In  each  of  these  chambers, 
softly  lying  on  a  honey  cake,  was  a  whitish 
worm,  destined  likewise  to  have  wings  and  think 
of  perpetuating  its  species  at  a  future  day. 
Sometimes  another  destiny,  and  not  so  happy,  is 
in  store  for  them,  since  enemies  in  great  num- 
bers prowl  around  this  well-concealed  cell.  Let 
one  ant  make  the  discovery  and  a  hundred  others 
follow  in  a  row,  attack  the  poor  guardian  bee, 
and  kill  the  larvae  in  the  cradle.  Their  existence 


TRAVELS    OF   A    CENTIPEDE.  113 

is  in  imminent  danger  even  before  they  issue  from 
the  egg.  A  stranger  fly,  taking  advantage  of  any 
short  absence  of  the  brooding  mother,  slips  into 
the  newly  vacated  place,  leaves  there  her  own 
germ,  and  hastily  escapes.  The  bee  has  seen 
nothing,  and  lives  deceived,  without  a  suspicion 
that  she  is  harbouring  a  murderer,  and  that  its 
savage  larva  will  soon  be  sole  mistress  of  this 
spacious  abode  made  with  so  much  labour. 

Some  of  the  congeners  of  our  bee,  less  rustic 
in  their  habits,  prefer  the  neighbourhood  of  man. 
They  flit  around  his  houses,  and  selecting  a 
wrought  stone  decide  on  hanging  their  habitation 
there.  And  how  shall  they  accomplish  this  design  ? 
They  know  not  how  to  spin  a  cocoon  like  the 
caterpillar,  or  make  a  web  of  silk  like  the  spider. 
It  matters  not ;  they  will  not  fail  for  want  of 
materials,  for  their  resolution  is  great.  The  rest 
they  make  will  be  of  a  kind  of  mortar,  that  as 
it  hardens  will  become  as  firm  as  granite.  They 
will  go  to  the  quarry,  there  select  a  grain  of  sand, 
cover  it  with  a  viscous  liquid,  lay  it  close  to 

I 


U4 


NOTES    OF    THE 


another  grain,  make  a  little  lump  of  them,  take 
this  up  in  their  mouths,  knead  it,  put  it  in  its 
place,  and  gradually  build  their  nest. 


This  nest,  constructed  with  so  much  labour,  is 
divided  into  several  compartments,  all  of  the  same 
size,  and  each  enclosing  an  egg,  as  well  as  the 


TRAVELS    OF   A    CENTIPEDE.  115 

paste  required  by  the  grub  that  is  to  be  hatched 
there. 

The  erection  of  such  a  building,  wisely 
adapted  to  the  needs  of  the  inhabitants,  does 
not  fail  to  present  some  difficulty.  Everybody 
is  not  a  born  mason ;  so  some  unscrupulous  bees 
sometimes  endeavour  to  seize  the  property  of 
their  neighbours.  Without  the  slightest  remorse 
they  enter  a  half-made  cell,  look  it  over,  examine 
it,  give  a  stroke  of  the  trowel,  and  prepare  to 
take  possession  of  it.  Then  comes  the  real 
owner  laden  with  mortar,  white  with  lime,  in 
working  dress.  They  look  at  one  another,  and 
doubtless  remonstrances  are  exchanged  ;  then  the 
dispute  waxes  warmer,  the  two  bees  hurl  defiance 
at  one  another,  rush  out,  and  prepare  to  settle 
their  dispute  by  force  of  arms. 

What  description  can  do  justice  to  the  ani- 
mated scene  that  ensues  upon  these  first  hos- 
tilities ?  Let  us  for  a  moment  transport  ourselves 
from  the  old  Pear-Tree  to  a  vast  arena  where  the 
soil  has  been  carefully  levelled,  and  around  which 

i  2 


116  NOTES    OF   THE 

are  raised  a  quantity  of  seats,  surmounted  by 
banners,  shields,  and  pamans.  Two  knights  in 
full  armour,  with  visors  closed,  lance  in  rest, 
and  shield  on  arm,  mounted  on  powerful  horses, 
barbed  likewise  with  iron,  are  ready  to  rush  on 
each  other.  The  word  is  given,  and  they  dart 
forward  enveloped  in  a  cloud  of  dust. 


A  long  shudder  passes  through  the  crowd. 
Many  hearts  beat,  impatient  to  ta,ke  flight,  and 
go  and  burn  themselves  at  this  devouring  flame 
that  attracts  and  maddens  the  masses.  Success ! 
Some  souls  of  worth,  more  noble,  more  generous, 
reserve  their  sympathy  for  the  vanquished.  Such 
are  scarce,  very  scarce,  as  scarce  as  charity,  self- 
denial,  and  devotion. 


TRAVELS    OF   A   CENTIPEDE.  117 

The  two  foemen  have  broken  their  lances,  but 
their  swords  remain.  Steel  meets  with  steel ; 
the  horses  rear ;  they  seize  each  other  round  the 
body,  and  the  issue  of  the  combat  appears  for 
a  moment  doubtful.  One  of  the  combatants  at 
last  rises  in  his  saddle,  gathers  up  his  strength, 
stretches  his  muscles,  draws  a  deep  breath,  and 


with  a  sudden  movement,  quick  and  vigorous, 
throws  the  enemy  on  the  ground  amid  the  loud 
applause  of  the  multitude. 

Is  this  a  tournament  I  have  described,  or  a 
duel  between  two  flies  \  At  all  events,  our  bees 
do  just  the  same  as  the  warriors  of  ancient  time 


118  TRAVELS    OF   A   CENTIPEDE. 

— fly  against  each  other  head  to  head,  swerve  aside 
from  each  other,  meet  again,  clash  terribly  to- 
gether, and  fall  stunned  by  the  shock.  Like  the 
knights,  if  the  first  onset  does  not  decide  the 
victory  they  clutch  each  other  in  fury,  and  even 
strike  with  their  dagger,  namely,  with  their  sting, 
like  them. 

But  we  will  not  continue  this  humiliating 
parallel.  And  what  would  it  prove  that  every 
one  does  not  know  already?  When  on  the  plain 
the  shepherd  appears  larger  than  his  sheep,  the 
oak  surpasses  the  shepherd,  the  tower  of  the 
village  church  exceeds  the  oak.  In  proportion 
to  the  elevation  above  the  valley  all  these 
gradations  gradually  disappear,  the  details  merge 
in  the  whole ;  the  landscape  is  lost  in  shade, 
there  are  no  more  giants,  and  all  is  small  to- 
gether. 

This  is  the  reason  why  the  Grecian  muse,  in 
her  choice  of  a  dwelling-place,  would  not  climb 
too  high,  but  stopped  upon  Parnassus. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 


SOLITARY    BEES. 


THE  sky  was  clear  again,  the  skiptails  jumping 
in  the  grass ;    all  was   calm   and  peaceable  in  the 

meadow,  and  yet  the 
Scolopendra  did  not 
appear  again.  Why 
did  she  not  re-enter  the 
hall  of  bark  after  such 
an  exciting  expedi- 
tion ?  Probably  she 
would  have  gladly 
done  so,  but  circum- 
stances beyond  her 
coutiol  made  it  impossible  for  her  to  return. 


120  SOLITARY   BEES. 

She  had  been  ejected  because  her  abode  was  to 
be  demolished,  and  had  been  expelled  by  superior 
force. 

The  inhabitants  of  a  great  city  who  are  used 
to  live  among  a  crowd,  and  to  shift  their  house- 
hold gods  from  one  place  to  another,  can  never 
believe  what  is  the  pain  of  quitting  an  old 
nest  ennobled  by  memory,  and  hallowed  by  custom. 
There  is  the  sense  of  leaving  behind  a  whole 
phase  of  existence  on  the  removal.  The  old 
home  unites  the  past  and  present,  henceforth  to 
be  divided  by  an  impassable  barrier.  Did  the 
Scolopendra  feel  all  the  bitterness  of  this  flitting  ? 
I  could  not  affirm  this,  but  I  am  sure  I 
experienced  it  for  her.  I  love  old  houses,  full 
of  antique  furniture,  and  showing  everywhere  the 
traces  of  the  departed.  One  is  not  alon6  amid 
those  grand  walls  that  have  been  the  cradle  and 
the  tomb  of  a  whole  race.  A  tutelary  genius, 
the  spirit  of  the  family,  watches  in  their  shades, 
low  murmuring  in  the  ear  of  the  living  a  thou- 
sand simple  and  touching  words  such  as  do  them 


SOLITAR 


good.  This  mysterious  charm  does  not  attach  to 
new  mansions ;  they  remain  dumb,  and  poetry 
finds  no  echoes  there.  These  are  but  hackneyed 
hostels,  good  for  nothing  but  transacting  business. 

We  said  that  the  Scolopendra  had  removed 
that  the  house  might  be  pulled  down.  This  is 
what  had  happened  to  it,  at  least  as  I  conjecture, 
for  I  studied  it  for  a  few  minutes,  and  my  eyes 
had  only  been  directed  thither  at  the  moment  of 
her  departure. 

She  had  been  established,  as  we  know,  under 
a  fold  of  bark  on  the  surface  of  the  old  Pear-Tree. 
Her  retreat  lay  just  below  a  great  dry  branch,  which, 
having  been  broken  by  a  storm,  hung  down  the 
tree  held  by  a  few  fibres.  A  smooth  shining- 
bodied  fly,  of  bluish  black,  with  four  wings  of 
dark  violet,  namely  the  carpenter  bee,  had  ob- 
served this  dead  branch  and  set  to  work  on  it. 
Our  bee  had  excellent  carpenter's  tools — that  is  to 
say,  two  great  teeth  formed  of  solid  bits  of  shell 
bent  into  augers,  convex  above,  and  ending  in  a 
fine  but  strong  point.  She  had  then  bored  a 


122 


SOLITARY    BEES. 


hole  towards  the  centre  of  the  branch,  but  in  an 
oblique  direction.  As  she  proceeded  with  her 
excavation  she  cast  forth  a  quantity  of  sawdust, 
which  gathered  in  a  heap  on  the  ground.  A  great 
expense  of  power,  energy,  and  patience  was  re- 


quired to  bring  such  an  enterprise  to  a  successful 
issue ;  but  where  is  the  bee  in  whom  these  qua- 
lities are  lacking?  They  know  what  they  want, 
which  is  a  rare  quality,  and  only  desire  what 
they  can  perform,  and  that  is  a  still  rarer  one. 


SOLITARY   BEES.  1-3 

After  several  weeks  of  labour  the  wood-borer 
had  pierced  a  cavity  of  nearly  twelve  inches  in 
depth,  very  smooth,  perfectly  emptied,  and  very 
regular.  Then,  without  taking  any  time  for  repose, 
she  went  afield  to  gather  honey,  and  had  filled 
with  it  the  whole  of  the  lower  part  of  the  cavity 
just  spoken  of,  so  as  to  make  a  mass  there  of 
about  an  inch  in  height.  When  this  was  done 
she  laid  an  egg  upon  the  paste  in  the  fashion 
of  the  mason  bee. 

The  Scolopendra  had  been  scared  by  the 
unusual  noises  ringing  around  her  during  these 
many  goings  to  and  fro,  and  had  judged  it  best 
to  leave  her  own  hut  since  it  was  in  such  a 
dangerous  neighbourhood. 

The,  bee  took  no  more  notice,  being  absorbed 
in  her  more  important  cares.  Of  course  she  had 
not  made  a  hole  twelve  inches  long  to  put  only 
one  egg  into  it.  She  went  out  again,  picked  up 
a  little  wood -dust,  tempering  it  with  a  sort  of 
glue,  brought  it,  and  attached  it  to  the  walls 
of  the  hole  above  the  provision  of  honey.  On 


124  SOLITARY   BEES. 

the  inner  rim  of  this  first  circular  layer  of  saw- 
dust she  placed  a  second  ring  concentric  with 
the  first,  then  a  third  of  smaller  diameter.  Soon 
there  was  only  a  little  hole  left  that  she  could 
easily  fill.  Then  the  egg  was  enclosed  in  a  real 
chamber,  firmly  sealed  up  on  all  sides,  and  its 
ceiling  became  the  floor  of  a  new  cell,  also  con- 
taining honey.  Thus  she  constructed  twelve 
chambers  intended  as  habitations  for  as  many 
grubs,  all  having  near  them  the  amount  of  sub- 
sistence necessary  for  their  wants  until  the  time 
of  their  charge. 

What  would  our  collectors  of  statistics,  gentle- 
men who  are  such  hands  at  putting  figures  to- 
gether, say  if  they  were  asked  to  estimate  within 
a  few  crumbs  what  an  individual  of  their  species 
would  eat  before  arriving  at  his  majority  ?  Ah, 
how  the  wood-borer  would  laugh  at  their  answer ! 
Or  at  least  we  will  do  so  as  her  proxies. 

Apropos  to  this,  may  I  be  allowed  to  recall 
an  amusing  anecdote  told  by  M.  Eeaumur  in  one 
of  his  Memoirs? 


SOLITARY   BEES. 


125 


In  the  first  days  of  the  month  of  July  1736 
an  auditor  of  the  Accountant-general's  office,  lord 
of  a  village  near  Andelys,  on  the  Seine,  was 


walking  backwards  and  forwards  in  his  drawing- 
room.  When  I  say  he  was  promenading,  I  must 
avow  that  it  is  only  a  supposition  on  my  part,  for 


126  SOLITARY   BEES. 

M.  Reaumur  has  not  preserved  these  details. 
Perhaps  he  was  seated  in  his  arm-chair  delicately 
wrapped  in  a  small-patterned  flowered  dressing- 
gown,  a  very  suitable  dress  for  an  auditor ;  but 
this  point  has  remained  in  doubt.  A  servant, 
prudently  only  opening  the  door  a  little  way,  an- 
nounced that  a  gardener  from  Andelys  demanded 
an  audience. 

He  was  introduced, — a  fine-looking  man  of 
five  feet  eleven  inches,  bony,  muscular,  fair,  of 
a  dazed  look,  with  great  brown  eyes  on  a  level 
with  his  cheeks.  He  took  off  his  cap,  bowed 
with  a  scrape  of  the  foot,  coughed,  blushed,  and 
remained  quiet. 

"  Well,"  said  his  master,  "  what  is  the  news  ? " 

"  Alas,  sir,"  said  the  gardener,  "  a  misfortune 
has  happened !  There  is  a  wizard  in  the  village, 
and  your  whole  estate  is  ruined  and  undone. 
Not  a  workman  will  strike  a  pick  into  the  ground 
there  any  more.  Please  to  look." 

With  these  words  he  held  out  a  little  box 
to  his  master,  who,  after  such  an  amazing  prelude, 


SOLITARY    BEES.  127 

opened  it  with  much  curiosity.  In  it  were  some 
small  cases  made  of  rose  leaves  rolled  up.  These 
perfectly  closed  cases  seemed  to  have  been  made 
with  the  utmost  care,  and  were  of  remarkable 
beauty.  The  auditor  looked  carefully  at  these 
curious  objects,  touched  them,  felt  them  all  over, 
and  was  astonished  at  their  marvellous  complete- 
ness and  finish. 

The  gardener  continued  :  "  They  were  found 
in  one  of  the  borders  in  front  of  the  house.  They 
were  not  hid  there  for  nothing,  and  he  who  buried 
them  knew  very  well  what  he  was  about." 

"  Indeed  it  is  strange ;  but  you  know,  John, 
no  one  believes  in  wizards." 

John  Paul  shook  his  head,  made  a  most 
intricate  grin  expressive  of  both  respect  and  of 
doubt,  turned  and  twisted  his  cap  in  embarrass- 
ment, and  then  bashfully  replied  : 

"  As  your  worship  pleases ;  but  the  cunning 
man  to  whom  I  showed  these  things  could  not 
say  any  good  of  them.  1  am  sure  I  should  come 
to  harm  if  I  went  on  working  on  the  place." 


128  SOLITARY   BEES. 

The  auditor  rose,  rang,  dressed  himself,  and 
went  to  a  surgeon  who  was  a  friend  of  his,  followed 
by  the  villager.  He  did  not  believe  that  there 
was  anything  alarming  in  the  story  told  him, 
but  he  wished  to  have  the  opinion  of  a  skilful 
practitioner.  Contrary  to  his  expectations,  the  ex- 
pedient was  unsuccessful.  Though  the  surgeon 
was  very  skilful  in  his  own  business,  he  could 
give  none  of  the  desired  information. 

What  was  to  be  done  ?  They  went  to  the 
Abbe  Nollet,  who  was  well  known  for  his  accurate 
study  of  natural  history. 

The  gardener,  trembling  all  over,  presented 
the  famous  rolls  to  him,  more  confident  than 
ever  that  they  had  a  savour  of  brimstone.  Accord- 
ing to  him,  there  could  not  be  a  doubt.  Besides 
that,  he  thought  no  common  man  could  do  such 
a  piece  of  work ;  he  could  not  think  why  trouble, 
such  trouble,  could  have  been  taken,  or  such  a 
performance  buried  a  spade  deep.  A  wizard 
alone  could  have  put  these  accursed  cases  in 
such  a  place  to  effect  some  charm. 


SOLITARY    BEES.  129 

The  Abbe  Nollet  only  answered  this  fair  rea- 
soning by  a  smile,  for  he  had  very  good  reasons 
for  not  believing  it.  He  went  to  a  drawer,  and 

o 

took  from  it  other  sheaths  of  leaves  cleverly 
worked  by  the  scarabseus  beetles,  and  showed 
them  to  the  rustic,  telling  him  that  they  were 
made  by  insects,  and  that  those  which  had  caused 
him  so  much  anxiety  had  no  other  origin. 

John  Paul  was  shaken,  but  not  convinced. 
If  he  had  had  the  instinct  of  the  Ichneumon,  he 
would  have  displayed  some  of  it  in  conversation 
with,  this  learned  man,  but  he  had  only  a  little 
human  sense,  and  what  more  is  wanted  for 
cherishing  an  illusion?  .Nothing  is  so  pleasing 
as  an  error,  especially  when  it  issues  in  smart 
attire  from  the  secret  recesses  of  the  fancy. 

M.  Nollet  meanwhile  had  set  to  work  to  undo 
one  of  the  rolls  that  they  had  brought  him,  an 
attempt  his  visitors  had  '  never  dared  to  make, 
and  he  took  from  it  a  fat  larva,  that  writhed 
with  rage  at  this  unexpected  violation  of  its 
domicile. 

K 


130  SOLITARY    BEES. 

The  gardener  cried  out  with  astonishment  when 
he  saw  this  shapeless  grub.  He  threw  up  his 
arms,  opened  his  mouth,  and  laughed  noisily. 

"I  see  what  it  is,"  said  he,  "  and  the  cunning 
man  is  nicely  wrong!  It  was  my  own  opinion 
that  he  was  a  poor  ignorant  creature.  I  am  going 
to  put  these  under  his  nose,  and  there  will  be 
a  fine  noise  about  it  in  the  village." 

-"But,"  said  the  Abbe  quietly,  "I  thought  you 
were  of  the  same  opinion  as  he  was." 

"  I— oh  yes  !  that  is  to  say,  no  ;  I  thought  that 
there  was  something  more  behind  it,  that  is  all." 

How  often  is  this  scene  repeated  from  Paris 
to  China? 

The  pretty  rolls  that  then  caused  such  a  dis- 
turbance are  the  work  of  the  Megachile  cen- 
tuncularis.  This  is  another  kind,  of  bee,  though 
by  its  terrible  scientific  name  it  would  seem 
rather  as  if  it  were  an  antediluvian  monster  than 
a  humble  hymenopterous  insect. 

The  cutter  of  rose  leaves,  faithful  to  the  habits 
of  her  tribe,  bores  the  ground,  and  makes  in  it 


SOLITARY    BEES.  131 

a  gallery  of  ten  or  twelve  inches  deep.  In  this 
gallery  are  found  these  magic  cases  so  ingeniously 
folded.  Each  of  them  is  composed  of  six  or 
seven  sheaths  of  the  same  size  laid  end  to  end 
and  enclosed  in  one  cover.  Taking  this  off,  they 
are  found  placed  in  order.  They  make  a  kind 
of  cylinder,  and  are  arranged  like  thimbles  put 
partly  one  into  the  other.  The  circular  entrance 
of  the  first  covers  the  bottom  of  the  second, 
which  serves  for  the  base  of  the  third,  and  so 
on.  Each  of  these  little  thimbles  is  a  cell  in- 
tended as  a  refuge  for  a  grub,  which  undergoes 
two  changes  before  becoming  a  bee.  These  cells 
contain  honey,  and  are  made  so  as  to  prevent  the 
loss  of  one  drop  of  this  precious  nourishment. 
Yet  the  leaves  that  compose  them  are  not  glued, 
but  only  placed  close  together.  What  are  the 
modes  of  operation  of  the  Megachile  centuncu- 
laris  (leaf-cutter  bee)  to  obtain  such  a  result  ? 
We  will  try  to  rob  her  of  the  secret. 

Here    she    is    pausing    over    a    rose-tree    all 
covered   with   beautiful   scented   flowers.     This   is 

K  2 


132  SOLITARY    BEES. 

her  favourite  tree,  but  not  her  exclusive  choice, 
a&  in  case  of  need  she  will  resort  to  another. 

The  first  thing  is  to  take  up  a  suitable  posi- 
tion. She  places  herself  on  the  outer  edge  of 
a  leaf,  so  that  she  can  hold  the  cut  part  between 
her  legs  and  begin  at  the  foot-stalk.  Then 
setting  to  work  she  >  cuts  out  a  great  round  piece 
with  her  mandibles,  working  them  as  quickly  as 
a  pair  of  scissors.  Her  position  is  convenient 
for  the  purpose,  but  also  presents  some  difficulties. 
The  bee  is  perched  on  the  bit  she  is  cutting,  and 
if  care  be  not  taken  her  weight  will  tear  it  off. 
To  prevent  any  accident  of  this  sort  she  begins 
to  fly  before  the  cut  is  finished,  and  for  some 
time  supports  herself  in  the  air  without  leaning 
on  the  material. 

When  this  work  is  done,  she  carries  off  the 
piece  of  leaf,  holding  it  perpendicularly,  .and  carries 
it  to  line  the  subterranean  gallery  that  she  has 
hollowed  out.  Ten  or  twelve  pieces  of  this  kind 
are  required  to  make  a  cell,  all  not  being  of  the 
same  thickness.  The  interior  surface  of  each  cell 


SOLITARY   BEES.  133 

is  composed  of  three  of  these  pieces,  of  the  same 
size,  narrow  at  one  end,  larger  at  the  other.  The 
jagged  margin  of  the  leaves  is  always  placed 
outside,  while  the  smooth  edge  of  the  cut  goes 
inwards. 

The  Megachile  centuncularis,  like  most  insects, 
now  takes  pains  to  strengthen  the  exterior  of 
the  cell.  For  this  purpose  she  surrounds  it  with 
three  or  four  oval  pieces,  and  then  with  other  bits 
smaller  in  proportion.  Besides,  she  takes  good 
care  not  to  let  joint  lie  over  joint.  Like  a  good 
workman,  she  places  the  middle  of  each  fragment 
of  leaf  upon  the  cut  part  of  that  just  used 
before,  so  as  to  cover  the  joins.  Also  she  folds 
back  the  end  so  as  to  give  it  a  convex  form. 
When  the  cell  is  complete  she  fills  it  with  honey 
and  pollen,  puts  an  egg  in  it,  and  covers  it  with 
three  pieces  so  perfectly  circular  that  they  might 
be  supposed  to  have  been  drawn  with  compasses. 
Then  she  fills  the  whole  gallery  with  similar 
chambers,  the  round  end  of  one  filling  the  open 
end  of  the  next.  If  some  unforeseen  accident 


134 


SOLITARY    BEES. 


L.E 


SOLITARY    BEES.  135 

forces  her  to  quit  her  work  for  a  time,  she  is  in 
haste  to  return,  and  hardly  ever  quits  it  before 
the  whole  is  completed.  Her  perseverance  to  this 
end  is  remarkable. 

It  is  said  that  St.  Francis  Xavier,  walking 
one  day  in  the  garden,  saw  a  great  winged  insect 
walking  there  with  head  bent  down,  and  the  fore 
legs  stretched  out  and  elevated  in  the  attitude 
of  prayer.  He  was  much  astonished  at  this  cir- 
cumstance, but  much  more  so  at  hearing  the 
humble  creature  chant ;  a  •beautiful  canticle  after 
the  custom  of  that  period 'with  great  solemnity. 
What  would  he  have  said  if  he  had  studied  the 
ways  of  our  leaf- cutter  of  the  rose  ?  It  is  true 
that  she  has  no  voice,  but  nature  has  given 
her  a  genius  for  mathematics — a  singular  power 
of  tracing  ovals  and  circles,  without  perfect  draw- 
ing instruments  —  and  a  well- based  knowledge 
of  the  laws  of  elasticity.  Miracles  are  all  around 
us ;  in  order  to  see  them  it  is  only  necessary  to 
open  our  eyes,  but  that,  it  appears,  is  the  chief 
difficulty. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

• 

DIGGERS. 

MY  old  Pear-Tree,  with  its  ever-blessed  greeii 
shade,  had  a  rich  client  with  beautiful  black  eyes, 
that  came  sometimes  to  beg  a  little  shade  of  him 
at  those  hours  when  the  grass  falters  and  bends 
under  the  burning  rays  of  the  sun.  She  walked  with 
measured  steps,  a  grave  and  majestic  air,  gathered 
a  few  flowers  as  she  went,  and  lay  down  at  the 
foot  of  the  tree.  Then,  with  head  raised  and  body 
comfortably  settled,  she  fixed  her  eyes  on  the 
horizon,  mechanically  moving  her  lips.  Her  march 
was  followed  by  a  little  girl,  as  fresh  as  a  rose, 
making  a  curious  piece  of  knitting,  never  ended, 


DIGGERS. 


but  always  renewed.  This  illustrious  client  lived 
at  the  farm,  and  was  well  known  on  the  meadow, 
being  greeted  with  the  most  discordant  cries  by  a 
flock  of  jays  every  morning  on  her  appearance. 
She  lived  there  happy  and  thoughtless  of  the 


morrow,  and  was  the  delight1  of  her  hosts.  She  was 
supposed  to  have  been  originally  of  the  county  of 
Durham,  in  England;  but  there  was  no  actual 
proof  of  this.  However  that  might  be,  her  name 


138  DIGGERS. 

was  Betsy,  and  she  belonged,  as  I  have  omitted  to 
mention,  to  the  bovine  race.  The  stout  farmer 
thought  a  great  deal  of  her,  and  never  spoke  of 
the  foreigner  but  in  highest  terms  of  the  greatest 
praise.  She  replied  to  his  compliments  by  a 
prolonged  lowing,  gave  a  flick  of  her  tail  to  her 
sides,  and  returned  to  her  peaceful  meal,  burying 
her  nostrils  deep  in  the  grass. 

She  had  an  enemy,  though  she  had  never  done 
any  harm  to  any  one — the  Hypoderma  bovis,  who 
harassed  her  unceasingly  with  unrivalled  obstinacy. 
This  enemy  was  not  to  be  dreaded  for  his  strength, 
but  that  only  made  him  the  more  dangerous.  In- 
deed, more  of  life  is  spent  in  repelling  trifling 
aggressions,  annoyances  constantly  renewed,  than  in 
serious  but  honourable  contests.  Sometimes  an  oak 
scarred  by  lightning  forms  fresh  bark,  its  torn 
leaves  are  renewed,  and  the  branches  half  broken 
off  by  the  electric  fluid  may  recover  again.  But 
if  attacked  by  grubs,  its  strength  oozes  out  at  a 
thousand  punctures,  and  it  is  immediately  dried  up. 

Externally,  Betsy's  enemy  was  like  a  common 


DIGGERS.  139 

fly,  but  very  fat.  Some  writers  have  alleged  him 
to  be  descended  from  the  illustrious  fly  on  the 
coach-wheel,  described  by  La  Fontaine,  but  we 
can  hardly  believe  them,  for  her  heirs  had  left  the 
country  for  a  town  residence.  The  people  who 
abhor  Latin  names,  and  justly  so,  do  not  know 
its  title  of  Hypoderma  bovis,  and  simply  call  it 
breeze-fly. 

The  insect  has  great  compound  eyes,  streaked 
with  green  and  red,  pointed  antennae,  strong  wings, 
adorned  with  very  conspicuous  veinings.  Its 
colours  are  dull  and  dark.  Its  carnivorous  in- 
stincts would  not  have  been  suspected  were 
not  its  secret  inclinations  revealed  by  the  mouth, 
an  organ  of  great  expression  in  man  as  well  as 
beast.  This  curiously  constructed  mouth  ought 
to  .be  studied.  It  is  composed  of  a  kind  of  trunk, 
with  a  protecting  sheath,  and  little  white  and  very 
sharp  teeth. 

With  these  sharp  hooks  it  tormented  peaceful 
Betsy.  Some  slight  protuberances  might  already 
be  remarked  on  the  back  of  the  pretty  black  cow, 


140  DIGGERS. 

hardly  visible  among  the  hair,  but  very  sensible 
to  the  touch.  These  round  vesicles  contained 
the  larvae  of  the  breeze-fly,  foul,  grub-shaped 
creatures,  with  two  hooks  at  one  end  of  their 
body,  divided  into  a  certain  number  of  rings,  and 
with  no  organ  of  locomotion. 

This  greedy  family,  that  feeds  on  living  flesh 
and  surrounds  itself  with  corruption,  is  numerously 


represented.  It  contains  the  gad-fly,  spoken  of 
by  Virgil  in  the  "  Georgics,"  the  Gasterophyllus 
licemorrhoidalis  that  attaches  itself  to  horses,  with 
many  other  predatory  flies.  Humboldt  and  Bon- 
pland  even  discovered  in  South  America  a  species 
of  the  same  kind,  that  commits  its  ravages  on 
man;  the  larva  if  disturbed  buries  itself  deeply 
under  the  skin,  and  produces  much  inflammation, 


DIGGERS.  141 

often  fatal.  It  takes  six  months  to  perform  all 
its  metamorphoses,  six  long  months,  while  the 
victim  of  the  attack  counts  the  hours,  minutes, 
and  even  seconds. 

But  we  have  wandered  far  from  our  subject, 
as  we  never  intended,  in  talking  of  the  monstrous 
client  of  the  old  Pear-Tree,  to  mention  the  Hypo- 
derma  bovis,  or  any  of  its  relations.  A  much  fairer 
picture  was  ready  to  our  pen,  but  it  wanted  a 
frame,  and  we  did  not  know  where  to  find  one. 
The  chief  individual  of  this  picture  is  still  an 
insect,  but  an  insect  of  such  curious  manners  that 
it  is  hard  to  know  how  to  exhibit  it.  The  villagers, 
who  readily  follow  Boileau's  example,  and  call  a  cat 
a  cat,  describe  it  under  the  name  of  dung-beetle. 
This  name  implies  much,  and  ought  to  show  why 
the  bearers  of  it  are  always  found  in  meadows 
and  high-roads. 

Entomologists  place  them  in  the  tribe  of  Geo- 
trupes,  OP  Arenicolse.  They  may  all  be  recognised 
by  their  hemispherical  or  oval  body,  by  their  wing- 
covers  enveloping  the  abdomen,  and  especially  by 


142  DTGGEES. 

their  mandibles,  more  than  half  uncovered,  very 
strong,  and  much  bent.  As  these  insects  are  es- 
sentially diggers,  their  legs  are  large,  sharp-edged, 
and  much  notched  at  the  exterior  edge.  Their 
mission  is  to  free  the  surface  of  the  ground  from 
anything  that  might  seem  offensive  to  delicate 
persons.  With  the  exception  of  some  of  them, 
whose  chosen  domicile  is  in  mushrooms,  they  are 
generally  found  in  what  is  by  choice  avoided. 
They  excavate  sloping  or  upright  holes  under  these 
matters,  and  bury  themselves  in  them  as  soon  as 
they  fancy  they  are  in  danger.  There  is  not  much 
temptation  to  pursue  them  thither,  but  they  do 
not  fancy  so.  Perhaps  they  have  good  reason  for 
getting  under  cover.  Certain  collectors,  very  full 
of  Latin,  are  capable  of  searching  everywhere. 

The  dung-beetles  only  leave  their  retreat  in 
the  evening,  and  after  having  dressed  themselves. 
Seeing  them  pass  brilliant  and  lustrous,  no  one 
would  suspect  the  life  they  lead.  Their  flight  is 
noisy  and  heavy  just  above  the  ground.  If  they 
feel  a  touch,  they  at  once  counterfeit  death — not 


DIGGERS.  143 

in  a  vulgar  manner  like  the  spiders,  curling  up  into 
a  ball  and  remaining  quiet,  but  in  a  remarkable 
way,  like  true  artists.  Instead  of  bending  back 
their  legs  and  antennae  to  the  body,  like  most 
insects,  they,  on  the  contrary,  extend  them,  and 
hold  them  as  stiff  as  they  would  be  in  a  perfectly 
dried  beetle.  The  imitation  is  so  perfect  that  it 
deceives  their  enemies ;  among  others,  the  crows, 
who  turn  them  over  and  over,  and  think  them 
unworthy  of  a  peck.  The  butcher  bird,  it  seems, 
is  not  so  easily  deceived,  and  will  not  be  so  taken 
in.  Dead  or  alive,  he  sticks  all  he  meets  upon 
the  spines  of  the  sloe,  and  devours  them  by  degrees 
as  his  appetite  requires  them. 

The  larvae  of  the  dung-beetle  live  in  the  same 
place  as  their  parents,  at  the  bottom  of  a  round 
hole  of  about  fifteen  inches  deep,  and  full  of  food. 
They  have  a  good  deal  of  similarity  to  the  grub 
of  the  cockchafer,  and  are  whitish  for  a  small 
portion  of  their  front  wings,  and  of  a  bluish  or 
slaty  grey  on  the  rest  of  their  body. 

After  this  preliminary  description  we  come  to 


144  DIGGERS. 

the  details  of  the  picture,  which  are  now  more 
easy  to  describe. 

One  day  walking  on  the  quay  of  Santa  Lucia, 
at  Naples,  whence  there  is  a  view  of  Vesuvius, 
the  blue  waves  of  the  Mediterranean,  Castellamare, 
and  Sorrento,  I  took  it  into  my  head  to  hire  a 
boat  and  be  transported  to  Capri,  that  picturesque 
island  where  Tiberius  lived,  whose  rocky  white 
profile  had  often  excited  my  attention.  Some 
sailors  of  bronzed  hue,  with  red  caps  and  striped 
shirts,  took  me  there  in  a  few  hours,  and  put  me 
on  shore  on  a  sandy  beach,  almost  deserted.  I 
mounted  some  steps  cut  out  of  the  rock,  a  good 
deal  broken,  and  invaded  by  vegetation  in  abun- 
dance, and  came  to  the  village,  to  the  inn  with 
the  sign  of  'the  palm-tree,  and  left  my  little 
valise  there. 

In  great  heat  one  has  not  much  appetite,  but 
dinner  is  a  necessity,  if  only  to  prevent  losing 
the  habit.  So  I  took  a  light  repast  under  an  ar- 
bour of  vines,  at  the  foot  of  some  massive  columns, 
between  which  were  stretched  out  the  flexible 


DIGGERS.  145 

branches  of  figs.  A  tiger  would  have  been  tamed 
there,  I  am  convinced,  especially  after  moistening 
his  lips  with  that  beautiful  golden  wine  with  such 
a  delicate  bouquet  that  is  made  on  the  island.  My 
collation  finished,  I  left  the  inn  on  a  voyage  of 
discovery. 

The  streets  of  Capri  are  narrow,  considerably 
irregular,  and  bordered  by  houses  with  dome- 
shaped  roofs,  giving  the  place  an  Eastern  appear- 
ance. I  soon  came  to  a  tolerably  large  open 
space,  and  at  the  end  was  an  arched  doorway, 
leading  to  the  country.  Under  this  arch,  at  a 
small  distance  from  the  ground,  was  the  aperture 
of  a  window,  with  iron  bars.  An  old  woman 
leant  her  elbows  against  it,  conversing  with  a 
person  of  ragged  beard  and  pale  face,  who  could 
be  seen  behind  the  grating. 

This  dark  corner,  where  yet  a  man's  friends 
could  speak  to  him,  was  the  public  prison. 

When  I  came  to  this  spot,  I  found  two  roads 
before  me  equally  beautiful.  The  broadest  on 
the  right  led  to  Anna  Capri,  a  sort  of  eagle's 

L 


146  DIGGERS. 

nest  on  a  high  mountain;  the  other  and  less 
frequented  road  passed  along  the  outside  of  the 
village,  lined  by  hedges  of  prickly  pear,  aloes 
and  vines  winding  among  the  rocks,  and  insen- 
sibly descending  to  the  sea. 

I  chose  the  latter  for  the  sake  of  solitude, 
delaying  at  each  step,  now  to  watch  a  snake  es- 
caping through  the  grass,  now  a  butterfly  rising 
in  the  air,  now  to  glance  at  the  beautiful  country 
around  me.  Oh,  how  pleasant  was  the  time  I  thus 
spent,  and  how  often  have  I  regretted  it! 

At  last  I  sat  down  on  the  root  of  a  tree  to 
dream  at  my  ease,  and  give  myself  over  to  my 
feeling.  Then  I  saw  a  living  creature,  about  as 
large  as  a  cockchafer,  moving  over  the  sand,— 
an  insect  belonging  to  the  tribe  of  dung-beetles, 
family  Ateuchitse.  She  had  found  what  she 
wanted,  and  was  at  work  taking  away  some  bits 
of  it.  Doubtless  it  was  an  unpleasant  operation, 
but  we  will  not  be  too  sure  on  this  point ; 
maternal  love  ennobles  all  with  which  it  comes 
in  contact. 


DIGGERS.  147 

Our  dung-beetle  by  her  struggles  contrived 
to  make  a  little  ball,  and  kneaded  it  carefully, 
mixing  it  with  gravel.  Then  she  dragged  it  to 
a  small  distance,  turned  her  back  to  it,  and 
began  to  roll  it  quickly  over  the  ground,  pushing 
it  with  her  hind  feet.  The  ball  as  it  rolled 
gathered  round  it  all  the  grains  of  sand  that 
clung  to  its  surface,  and  at  last  became  of  some 
size.  All  at  once,  when  both  its  conductor  and 
I  least  expected  it,  it  rolled  into  a  hole  caused 
by  the  tread  of  a  horse. 

The  dung-beetle  turned  round  sharply,  waved 
her  antennae,  and  rose  up  on  her  fore  feet  in 
the  most  comical  way  to  get  a  better  view  of 
the  neighbourhood  around.  Nothing  was  to  be 
seen,  north,  south,  east,  or  west.  To  her  great 
astonishment,  the  ball  had  disappeared.  Imme- 
diately she  began  to  search  in  great  haste,  and 
at  last  discovered  the  object  of  her  search  in  the 
situation  we  have  mentioned.  On  seeing  it  she 
became  calmer,  though  she  was  not  entirely  re- 
lieved from  anxiety.  She  marched  round  the  hole 

L  2 


148  DIGGERS. 

where  her  property  lay,  went  down  into  it,  ex- 
amined it  carefully,  and  then  making  a  buttress 
of  herself,  set  to  work  to  get  it  out.  I  saw  her 
slowly  ascending,  with  unheard-of  labour,  the 
almost  perpendicular  slope  that  she  had  to  sur- 
mount, walking  backwards  and  bearing  all  the 
weight  of  a  heavy  burthen.  She  had  nearly 
done  her  work,  when  an  unlucky  motion  all  at 
once  destroyed  her  balance  and  that  of  the  ball, 
so  that  it  fell  into  the  pit  along  with  her. 

This  was  a  terrible  misadventure  ;  so  our  in- 
sect remained  motionless  for  a  second,  doubtless 
to  take  breath,  as  a  good  workman,  who  has 
failed  in  an  arduous  task,  prepares  to  exert 
double  strength  and  vigour. 

The  ancient  Greek  poets,  in  their  description 
of  the  realms  of  Pluto,  picture  to  us  there  fierce 
Sisyphus  painfully  raising  a  rock,  obliged  to  let 
it  fall,  seizing  it  again,  and  recommencing  his 
dismal  effort,  without  better  success.  They  must 
have  taken  the  notion  from  our  poor  insect,  so 
sadly  exercised,  during  its  brief  existence.  See, 


DIGGERS. 


ife/POESii 


150  DIGGERS. 

she  resumes  her  labour,  but  not,  like  Sisyphus, 
with  a  feeling  of  degradation.  She  has  confidence 
in  herself  and  succeeds.  Her  ball,  vigorously 
pushed,  rises  and  rises,  at  last  scales  the  precipice, 
and  rolls  along  the  road. 

The  dung-beetle  takes  courage,  seeing  it  dis- 
engaged, and  displays  more  zeal  than  ever.  She 
resumes  her  backward  travel,  and  easily  traverses 
a  distance  of  several  feet.  At  last  the  ball 
escapes  from  her  again,  and  is  swallowed  up  in 
a  crack  in  the  ground. 

What  a  poem!  No  enamel  orb  mounted  on 
a  sovereign's  sceptre  ever  gave  so  much  trouble 
to  its  owner. 

But,  thanks  to  chance,  this  time  the  famous 
ball  had  fallen  into  a  good  place.  The  insect, 
as  far  as  I  could  judge  by  its  demeanour,  re- 
joiced at  the  result  obtained.  She  searched 
around,  went  into  the  crack,  cast  wild  looks 
to  right  and  left,  and  seemed  better  and  better 
satisfied  at  the  examination.  The  eggs,  hidden 
in  the  middle  of  the  sphere  that  it  was  so 


DIGGERS.  151 

difficult  to  place  properly,  were  in  a  suitable 
position.  They  only  had  to  be  buried,  and  that 
was  soon  done.  When  the  work  was  concluded, 
our  beetle  opened  her  wings,  closed  them,  and 
extended  them  again  ;  taking  flight  over  the 
grass,  and  soon  disappearing  in  it. 

This  is  what  I  saw  on  a  fine  summer  day 
on  the  high-road  leading  from  the  village  of 
Capri  to  the  sea. 


CHAPTER  X. 

STILT     WALKERS. 

A  POWERFUL  locomotive,  driven  by  steam  and 
heated  by  fire,  advances  with  rapidity  over  the  rails, 
but  thought  is  still  more  rapid,  easily  outstrips 
it,  and  arrives  first  at  the  journey's  end.  With- 
out, having  left  our  meadow,  we  have  visited  the 
rocks  of  Capri;  we  are  now  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Bordeaux,  traversing  the  Landes,  that 
ocean  of  stones,  sand,  emaciated  plants,  and  brush- 
wood. A  shepherd  walks  steadily  over  the  plain, 
with  long  stilts  on  his  feet,  and  having  in  his 
hand  an  enormous  pole  terminated  by  a  circular 
plate. 


STILT   WALKERS.  153 

When  near  us  he  stops,  puts  his  pole  to  the 
ground,  bends  his  knees,  and  sits  down  on  the 
plate,  looking  like  a  dwarf  stuck  up  on  a  gigantic 
tripod.  In  a  country  where  the  soil  is  shifting 
and  insecure,  it  is  well  to  take  every  precaution 
against  accidents ;  but  at  least,  if  we  make  use 
of  an  ingenious  idea,  we  should  leave  the  credit 
to  the  inventor  and  not  appropriate  it. 

Now,  while  the  inhabitant  of  the  Landes, 
proudly  watching  his  sheep,  is  depicted  by  cele- 
brated painters,  and  boasts  of  the  originality  and 
strangeness  of  his  style,  the  individual  to  whom 
he  owes  all  his  glory,  of  whose  idea  he  has  taken 
advantage,  the  real  inventor  of  stilts,  lives  ob- 
scure and  unknown  in  the  branches  of  my  old 
Pear-Tree. 

The  fact  is  incontestable;  indeed,  here  is  the 
poor  hero  coming  in  his  own  person,  not  to 
recount  his  griefs  to  us,  for  he  wants  no  pity, 
but  to  enjoy  a  beautiful  spring  day.  His  body 
is  oval,  very  small,  and  like  that  of  a  spider. 
Head,  neck,  and  abdomen  are  confused  together, 


154  STILT   WALKERS. 

and  he  carries  his  eyes,  two  in  number,  on  his 
back,  where  they  are  separated  by  a  somewhat 
sharp  crest.  Like  the  shepherd  of  the  Landes, 
he  walks  on  real  poles;  that  is  to  say,  on  legs 
of  a  remarkable  length  and  fantastically  slim. 
He  has  eight,  but  does  not  use  them  all  at 
once.  He  generally  raises  some  of  them  while 
he  walks,  holding  them  horizontally,  as  if  he 
wanted  to  point  to  some  distant  object  with  his 
toe.  We  have  just  compared  him  to  a  spider  : 
let  us  fancy  that  the  threads  of  the  spider's  web 
were  suddenly  endued  with  life  and  motion, 
dragging,  in  their  hasty  march,  the  insect  placed 
in  their  centre,  and  we  shall  have  a  notion  of 
the  shepherd  spider,  the  unknown  inventor  of 
stilts. 

He  feeds  on  the  smallest  creatures,  whom  he 
seizes  by  force  of  agility,  or  else  at  unawares. 
He  may  be  seen  any  day,  when  the  weather  is 
not  too  bad,  wandering  'on  the  old  Pear-Tree, 
seeking  his  fortune,  feeling  over  the  mosses  with 
his  long  legs.  If  he  finds  anything  worthy  of 


STILT    WALKERS. 


155 


156  STILT   WALKERS. 

his  desires,  he  lowers  his  body  from  the  height 
at  which  it  usually  hangs,  and  clings  to  the 
bark  of  the  tree  to  devour  his  prey. 

During  my  sleep  in  the  meadow,  he  per- 
mitted me  to  witness  a  most  curious  spectacle. 
Eesting  on  a  stalk  of  Ladies'-bed-straw  at  a  short 
distance  from  me,  he  was  taking  care  of  bis  per- 
son with  the  exactness  of  a  fop.  .Firmly  fixed 
on  his  great  stilts,  he  passed  them  one  by  one 
through  his  mouth,  in  order  to  make  them  bright 
and  lustrous. 

The  male  shepherd-spiders  engage  in  furious 
combats,  and  often  leave  some  of  their  legs  on 
the  field  of  battle.  Though  these  limbs  are  easily 
detached,  they  appear  to  be  endowed  with  remarkable 
vitality,  and  continue  in  motion  a  long  time  after 
they  are  severed.  This  persistence  in  movement 
after  amputation  should  not  surprise  us ;  it  is  not 
peculiar  to  the  shepherd-spider,  but  is  also  the 
case  with  most  insects.  Life,  which  in  the  organi- 
zation of  man  is  centralized  in  force,  is  localized 
more  and  more  in  proportion  as  beings  descend 


STILT   WALKERS.  157 

the  scale.  Thus  in  insects  the  blood  is  not  en- 
closed in  a  system  of  special  vessels ;  they  have 
neither  veins  nor  arteries,  and  the  nourishing  fluid 
is  distributed  in  the  interstices  that  there  are 
between  the  various  organs.  This  uncertain  and 
incomplete  circulation  is  conducted  by  means  of 
a  simple  canal  situated  at  the  centre  of  the  body 
above  the  digestive  tube. 

The  system  of  nerves  is  not  composed,  as  in 
man,  of  a  cerebro-spinal  axis,  comprehending  the 
larger  and  smaller  brain  and  spinal  marrow;  but 
their  nerves  are  distributed  in  little  centres  called 
ganglions,  apart  from  each  other.  Thus  it  may 
be  perceived,  that  if  one  of  these  centres  be  de- 
stroyed, the  others  can  act  for  some  time  indepen- 
dently. There  are  animals  also  of  a  still  more 
rudimentary  structure,  as,  for  instance,  the  polyps,  in 
which  the  various  faculties  of  relative  life  are  not 
peculiar  to  any  special  organ ;  but  all  their  parts 
possess  isolated  sensation  and  power  of  motion. 

The  more  Nature  is  studied,  the  greater  is  the 
A* 
admiration  of  her  inexhaustible   fruitfulness.      We 


158  STILT   WALKERS. 

have  hardly  lost  sight  of  the  shepherd-spider 
flying  over  the  meadow  on  his  long  legs,  before 
here  comes  another  stilt  walker — the  Daddy-long- 
legs— or  Tailor  -  crane  -  fly,  whose  aspect  is  more 
strange  than  a  dream  could  devise.  It  has  a 
narrow  and  slender  body  very  much  resembling 
that  of  his  cousin,  though  much  larger.  His  mouth 
is  split  from  front  to  rear,  and  composed  of  two 
lips,  not  placed  one  above  the  other,  but  side  by 
side,  one  on  the  outside,  the  other  on  the  inside. 
This  mouth  is  situated  at  the  extremity  of  a  short 
trunk,  which  terminates  an  already  lengthy  head, 
adorned  also  with  two  gills. 

The  colours  of  our  tipula  are  not  brilliant, 
being  a  whitish  grey,  and  the  corselet  rising  into 
a  most  inelegant  humpback.  True,  he  has  two 
superb  eyes,  and  that  is  saying  something  for  him. 
Were  beauty  reduced  to  regular  and  harmonious 
outlines,  it  would  be  cold  and  statue-like,  but 
fine  eyes  give  it  radiance  and  light  it  up.  The 
eye  of  the  tipula  consists  of  a  network  of  a 
changeable  green;  a  careful  observer  would  even 


STILT   WALKEES.  159 

discover  a  little  purple  in  it.  The  wings  are 
transparent,  somewhat  narrow,  and  generally  held 
far  apart.  The  antennae  are  not  remarkable  except 
for  four  or  five  great  hairs  of  whose  functions  we 
are  quite  ignorant. 


I  Whence  com.es  this  new  semi-grotesque  person- 
age, whom  we  must  add  to  the  already  numerous 
gallery  of  the  guests  of  the  old  Pear-Tree  ?  Where 
is  she  going,  perched  on  her  great  legs,  running 
like  the  ostrich,  and  fanning  her  wings  to  quicken 


160  STILT   WALKERS. 

her  speed  ?  See,  she  stops  at  the  foot  of  a  cavern 
that  time  has  excavated  in  the  trunk  of  the  tree. 
At  the  bottom  of  this  dark  and  gaping  cavern 
is  a  humid  soil  formed  of  rotting  vegetable  matter. 
The  tipula  goes  in  and  takes  up  a  most  curious 
attitude  ;  raises  her  head,  stands  as  high  as  possible 
on  her  stilts,  and  at  last  places  her  body  in  a 
perpendicular  attitude.  The  two  hind  legs  are  now 
the  only  ones  that  touch  the  ground.  She  looks 
as  if  going  to  dance  a  minuet  with  some  invisible 
being  in  the  hollow  of  the  Pear-Tree. 

Yet  there  is  no  one,  and  the  poor  thing  would 
certainly  be  far  from  supposing  the  solemn  cour- 
tesies of  this  dance  manifestations  of  pleasure. 
The  head  is  full  of  other  matters  than  amusement, 
and,  like  the  dung-beetle  of  Capri,  her  prime 
thought  is  of  duty.  She  brings  to  the  ground 
her  long  tail  composed  of  four  scaly  pieces,  making 
two  pairs  of  pincers  of  different  lengths,  and  digs 
it  in  with  great  vigour.  Then  the  two  pairs  of 
pincers  open  and  allow  two  or  three  eggs  to 
escape,  which  remain  in  the  hole  bored  by  the 


STILT   WALKERS. 


161 


tipula.     These  eggs   are  perfectly  black,  and  look 
like   little   polished   grains   of  gunpowder.      They 


are  oblong,  and  curved  into  a  crescent  shape.  Each 
female  lays  hundreds ;  and  so  proceeds  sowing  her 
progeny  and  piercing  the  earth  at  each  step. 


M 


162  STILT   WALKERS. 

When  the  eggs  are  laid,  each  soon  becomes 
full  of  grubs  of  a  very  dirty  white,  cylindrical 
in  form,  except  that  the  two  ends  are  smaller 
than  the  middle  of  the  body.  The  head  is  scaly, 
and  not  at  all  large.  The  insect  does  not  often 
display  more  than  a  portion  of  it,  and  when 
taken  in  the  hand  retracts  its  front  part  within 
the  'first  ring.  The  tortoise  evidently  has  play- 
mates even  among  the  smallest  species. 

The  larvae  of  the  crane  fly  cause  great  ravages 
in  grass  land  by  moving  the  earth  round  the 
roots  of  the  plants,  Which  are  thereby  disturbed, 
lifted  up,  and  exposed  to  be  dried  by  the  sun. 
Indeed  they  sometimes  cut  the  .fibres  in  making 
their  galleries.  The  manner  in  which  they  receive 
their  supply  of  oxygen  is  worthy  of  notice.  They 
have  a  complete  respiratory  apparatus  at  the  end 
of  their  body,  composed  of  a  bunch  of  radiating 
filaments  and  performing  the  office  of  true  lungs. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  say  that  these  rudimen- 
tary creatures  do  not  immediately  exchange  the 
obscure  life  that  they  pass  in  their  caves  for  that 


STILT   WALKERS.  163 

of  a  free  winged  fly  flitting  over  the  grass  and 
newly -blown  flowers.  In  order  to  arrive  at  that 
condition,  our  grubs,  like  caterpillars,  dispense  with 
their  skin,  and  live  for  some  time  under  the  form 
of  nymphse  rigidly  swaddled  up.  They  are  then 
of  a  grey  colour.  Their  future  wings  and  antennae 
are  hidden  under  the  abdomen,  as  well  as  the 
legs,  all  in  order  and  close  together.  These  legs, 
destined  to  be  so  greatly  developed  in  future,  are 
folded  and  doubled  so  as  to  take  up  the  least 
room  possible. 

This  is  an  example  of  the  different  means 
employed  by  nature  to  accomplish  the  same  end. 
The  nympha  of  the  crane  fly  at  the  time  of  its 
transformation  must  by  degrees  raise  itself  to  the 
surface  of  the  ground  and  disengage  its  front 
part.  How  is  this  to  be  accomplished,  as  the 
legs  are  not  only  bent  down,  but  enclosed  in  a 
solid  covering  ? 

The  difficulty  is  resolved  in  the  most  remark- 
able manner.  The  insect's  body,  though  smooth 
in  the  grub,  in  the  nympha  bristles  with  bumps 

M  2 


1G4  STILT   WALKERS. 

and  spines.  There  are  some  on  all  the  rings,  but 
more  on  those  near  the  tail.  These  spines  slope 
downwards ;  some  are  single,  some  forked.  And 
it  is  by  their  means  that  the  creature,  feeling 
ready  for  its  entrance  into  another  world,  drags 
itself  with  great  effort  towards  the  light. 


Crane  flies,  like  all  insects  which  multiply  with 
rapidity,  and  whose  females  lay  great  numbers 
of  eggs,  are  greedily  pursued  and  destroyed  in 
great  quantities  by  birds,  our  most  valuable  assist- 


STILT    WALKERS.  165 

ants,  without  whom  we  should  have  much  trouble 
in  evading  the  ravages  of  insects.  Some  inter- 
esting facts  will  prove  this. 

A  naturalist  one  day  took  a  butterfly  that 
comes  from  a  hairy  caterpillar,  and  obtained  from 
it  a  brood  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  eggs,  which 
all  hatched.  He  kept  eighty  eggs  and  brought 
up  the  caterpillars.  All  performed  their  changes 
and  became  perfect  insects,  except  five  which  died 
in  the  act  of  changing  their  skin.  Among  all 
these  butterflies  there  were  fifteen  females  coming 
from  the  eighty  eggs ;  the  brood  of  three  hundred 
and  fifty  wou]d  then  in  proportion  have  furnished 
sixty-five  females.  Supposing  that  they  had  been 
as  fruitful  as  their  mother,  we  come  in  the  third 
generation  to  a  sum  of  twenty-two  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  caterpillars,  among  whom  there 
would  have  been  at  least  four  thousand  two  hun- 
dred and  sixty-five  females,  and  they  would  have 
produced  in  their  turn  one  million  four  hundred 
and  ninety-two  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty 
grubs.  These  numbers  are  sufficiently  oppressive  ; 


166  STILT   WALKERS. 

but  certainly  viviparous  flies  will  show  us  much 
larger  ones.  They  produce  as  many  as  twenty-two 
thousand  at  a  single  birth.  For  these,  supposing 
the  number  of  females  equal  to  that  of  males,  we 
shall  have  at  the  third  step  not  a  miserable  million 
of  individuals,  but  a  splendid  posterity  of  two 
thousand  decillions  of  beings,  all  living,  flying,  and 
eating  at  the  universal  board. 

At  the  end  of  a  generation  they  would  have 
eaten  us  down  to  the  bare  boards,  and  there  would 
be  no  place  left  for  us  at  the  feast. 


CHAPTER  XL 

FKOM    THE    MEADOW    TO    THE    WILDERNESS. 

THE  slope  that  rises  a  tew  steps  from  the  great 
Pear-Tree,  half  in  sun,  half  in  shade,  is  as  popu- 
lous as  a  hive  of  bees.  A  builder  is  at  work 
there  at  this  moment,  and  is  building  a  novel  sort 
of  mansion  there.  If  he  was  of  our  race,  there 
would  be  little  about  him  in  which  to  interest 
ourselves.  "We  should  most  likely  see  him  imi- 
tating some  Greek  temple,  endeavouring  to  renew 
Roman  art,  inspired  with  Gothic  taste,  or  sensibly 
copying  some  edifice  of  the  Renaissance.  By  com- 
mon consent,  architecture  is  a  dead  language  at 
present,  only  to  be  studied  in  ancient  authors.  By 


168  FROM    THE    MEADOW 

the  employment  of  iron,  so  wonderfully  worked  at 
the  present  day  in  turn  with  zinc  and  glass,  some 
rash  adventurers  have  endeavoured  to  raise  edifices 
full  of  elegance  and  lightness,  but  in  a  style 
unknown  to  Vitruvius ;  but  it  seems  as  if  their 
deeds  had  been  scandalous,  and  that  such  efforts 
ought  not  to  be  encouraged. 

The  builder  that  we  are  going  to  discuss  is  a 
simple  insect,  with  only  his  instinct  to  guide  him, 
and  yet  indulging  at  times  in  original  efforts.  It 
is  a  grey  larva,  with  a  body  of  oval  shape,  covered 
with  little  tubercles.  It  can  only  walk  back- 
wards, and  bears  in  front  of  his  head  a  pair  of 
jagged  pincers,  sharp,  and  hollow  within.  These 
pincers  supply  the  place  of  mouth,  proboscis,  and 
offensive  weapons.  There  are  several  tools,  but  he 
wants  them  all ;  for  he  is  at  once  workman, 
mechanic,  and  soldier.  He  has  just  set  to  work, 
and  we  can  study  his  smallest  movements  at 
leisure. 

Like  a  prudent  insect,  he  begins  by  examining 
the  surface  of  the  ground,  in  order  to  make  choice 


TO    THE    WILDELSESS. 


1(59 


of  a  suitable  position.  After  some  hesitation  he 
fixes  on  a  somewhat  sandy  flat,  a  few  inches  across, 
about  half-way  up  the  slope.  He  levels  it  a  little, 
clears  out  the  rubbish,  then  digging  his  tail  into 
the  ground,  he  traces  a  perfect  circle  by  using  the 
point  of  one  of  his  pincers  as  a  compass,  and  the 
end  of  his  tail  for  a  centre-point.  He  then  begins 
to  dig  in  this  space,  heaps  a  quantity  of  sand  on 


his  head,  and,  by  giving  a  good  shake,  casts  the 
burthen  outside  the  circle.  He  then  continues  to 
work  for  some  minutes,  turning  round  and  round 
and  walking  backwards.  When  returned  to  the 
point  of  departure,  he  changes  sides.  Mountains 
are  moved  by  courage  and  perseverance,  and  d 
fortiori  why  may  not  holes  be  dug  ?  So  our  builder 
by  dint  of  labour  constructs  a  large  funnel  with 


170  FROM    THE    MEADOW 

its  point,  about  two  inches  deep.  Then  he  takes 
up  his  position  at  the  bottom  of  this  cavity,  buries 
himself  there,  only  showing  his  pair  of  pincers 
extended  and  open  at  the  bottom  of  the  pit,  and 
perfectly  motionless. 

What  is  his  expectation  as  he  lies  concealed  in 
darkness  and  mystery  ?  His  name  will  sufficiently 
declare  his  object.  He  is  called  the. Ant  Lion. 

Yes,  indeed,  with  justice.  The  very  ants  that 
climb  so  impudently  over  my  body  as  I  lie  in 
the  grass,  have  a  most  formidable  enemy,  who 
scrunches  them  up  all  standing,  in  despite  of  the 
desperate  resistance  they  make.  After  all,  what 
is  there  to  wonder  at  in  his  manners  and  customs  ? 
Considering  that  the  whale,  that  giant  denizen  of 
the  sea,  is  vanquished  by  the  attacks  of  man,  of 
sharks,  of  saw-fish,  of  sword-fish,  of  seals,  and  of 
white  bears,  it  may  be  inferred  that  the  ant 
cannot  escape  being  exposed  to  some  mischance. 
There  can  be  no  conqueror  without  a  combat,  and 
the  issue  of  encounters  is  not  always  fortunate. 
According  to  Homer,  Achilles  himself  had  a  vul- 


TO   THE   WIL 

nerable  heel,"""  and  yet  none  buTT5^  jtufefHels,  i.e. 
the  next  thing  to  a  demigod,  can  help  failing,  not 
only  in  one  but  in  both  feet. 

If  by  chance  an  ant  running  by  should  fall 
into  the  hole  that  her  enemy  has  dug,  she  is  im- 
mediately seized  in  his  pincers  and  pitilessly  de- 
voured. If  as  she  roils  down  she  tries  to  cling  to 
the  sides  of  the  funnel,  the  adversary  rains  sand 
upon  her  to  hasten  her  fall.  The  ant  lion  is  not 
the  only  employer  of  this  generally  successful 
stratagem ;  some  fishes  do  the  same.  The  lot  of 
the  archer,  an  inhabitant  of  the  Ganges,  is  to 
feed  on  insects :  yet  he  cannot  issue  from  the 
water  to  catch  them  in  the  fields  of  air.  This 
industrious  insect  counsels  him  to  hide  against 
the  bank  till  an  incautious  fly  comes  to  perch 
among  the  aquatic  weeds.  The  instant  the  victim 
is  observed,  a  spout  of  water  is  cast  at  him,  and 
carries  him  down  into  the  river.  The  archer  seems 
seldom  to  miss  his  aim,  even  at  a  distance  of 
several  feet. 

*  Homer  never  said  so. — ED. 


172  FKOM    THE   MEADOW 

To  return  to  the  ant  lion,  by  the  way,  we 
may  observe  he  has  no  objection  to  a  change  of 
diet.  Every  insect  of  medium  size  that  is  attracted 
to  his  pit  by  curiosity  gets  into  trouble.  Even 
one  of  his  own  kind,  if  he  got  his  foot  in  them 
by  chance,  would  not  be  spared.  Patient  waiting 
for  hours  for  a  good  meal  makes  any  one  savage. 

When  the  time  for  transformation  is  come,  our 
larva,  now  arrived  at  his  full  growth,  goes  back- 
wards and  forwards,  tracing  irregular  furrows  in 
the  ground,  and  spins  himself  a  round  cocoon, 
covered  with  sand  outside,  and  inside  hung  with 
fine  white  silk.  Within  this  cocoon  it  changes 
into  a  nymph,  and  may  there  be  seen  curled  into 
a  circle,  motionless,  and  calmly  awaiting  the  mo- 
ment of  deliverance. 

The  perfect  insect  is  very  long,  and  a  good 
deal  like  the  dragon-fly.  It  has  four  great  wings, 
with  very  numerous  and  delicate  nervures.  It  lays 
its  reddish-white  eggs  in  a  sandy  and  very  dry 
soil,  in  some  spot  protected  from  the  rain,  or  at 
the  foot  of  an  old  wall  with  a  southern  exposure. 


TO    THE   WILDERNESS. 


173 


However  remarkable  is  the  voracity  of  the 
ant  lion,  it  is  not  equal  to  that  of  many  other 
insects.  All  are  equally  ravenous  on  issuing  from 
the  egg.  They  fling  themselves  on  their  prey, 
gorge  on  it  to  satiety,  go  to  sleep,  and  only  wake 


to  eat  again.  A  naturalist  has  remarked  that 
the  larva  of  a  fly,  the  Musca  carnaria,  or  blow- 
fly, in  twenty-four  hours  becomes  two  hundred 
times  as  heavy  as  at  first.  The  raisers  of  silk- 
worms have  made  similar  inquiries,  and  proved 


174  FROM   THE    MEADOW 

that  the  caterpillars  hatched  from  one  ounce  of 
eggs  eat  sixteen  hundred  and  nine  mulberry  leaves 
before  reaching  the  perfect  state.  This  enormous 
consumption  of  eatables  is  necessary  to  the  larvae, 
as  they  must  lay  in  a  store  of  sustenance  to  be 
able  to  bear  the  long  fast  they  undergo  in  the 
state  of  chrysalis,  or  nympha.  Their  stomacli 
changes  with  their  nature.  The  greedy  silkworm 
that  consumed  a  mass  of  green  leaves  sixty 
thousand  times  its  own  weight,  when  become  a 
moth  only  takes  a  little  honey  by  way  of  nourish- 
ment. The  digestive  organs  of  the  first  had  very 
great  power ;  those  of  the  second  are  reduced  to 
the  thickness  of  a  thread. 

It  is  not  always  so.  But  two  paces  from  the 
ant  lion's  pit,  among  my  Pear-Tree's  roots,  there 
has  lain  for  some  time  a  mass  of  eggs,  united 
by  a  fine  membrane,  from  which  there  issued 
a  swarm  of  little  larvae.  These  of  course  had 
neither  wings  nor  wing-covers,  but  even  from  this 
early  period  their  possession  at  a  future  day  might 
be  predicted,  judging  by  four  protuberances,  like 


TO    THE   WILDERNESS.  17) 

buttons,  that  project  from  their  segments.  The 
creatures  dispersed  at  the  foot  of  the  slope,  ate 
the  grass,  made  their  transformations,  and  we  now 
see  them  skipping  joyously  around  us  in  shape  of 
grasshoppers. 

The  ravages  inflicted  by  caterpillars  are  trifling 
compared  to  the  terrible  devastations  caused  by 
the  larvae  of  the  locust,  one  of  the  varieties  of 
that  numerous  family  whose  destroying  march  has 
been  described  most  forcibly  by  Oriental  poets.* 

A  column  of  fire  goeth  before  them,  and  a 
burning  flame  folio  we  th  them.  Before  them  ex- 
tends a  rich  country  like  the  Garden  of  Eden, 
behind  can  only  be  seen  a  desert  of  bare  mon- 
strous outlines,  an  ocean  of  stones  and  sand.  Yes, 
nothing  can  escape  them.  The  clash  of  their 
wings  resound  afar  like  that  of  the  war  chariot 
drawn  by  horses,  at  the  moment  when  it  dashes 
into  the  combat,  ploughing  its  bloody  track  through 
the  thickest.  They  pass  over  the  tops  of  the  hills 
like  flame  flying  and  crackling  over  lands  covered 

*  See  Joel  ii. 


176  FROM   THE    MEADOW 

with  stubble,  or  like  armed  legions  going  to  the 
war.  Before  them  men  shudder  and  feel  their 
countenance  turn  pale.  They  march  in  innumer- 
able quantities,  always  going  forward,  keeping 
their  rank,  and  confident  in  their  strength. 

A  learned  traveller,  Dr.  Shaw,  was  present  at 
one  of  these  invasions  in  Algeria,  and  has  given 
a  most  curious  picture  of  it.  The  grasshoppers 
appeared  at  the  end  of  March,  and  their  numbers 
increased  to  such  a  pitch  that  in  the  following 
month  their  swarms  when  taking  flight  interrupted 
the  light  of  the  sun.  At  the  beginning  of  May 
they  retired  into  the  Mitidjah  and  other  neigh- 
bouring plains  to  lay  their  eggs.  No  sooner  were 
they  hatched  than  the  young  larvae  banded  together 
and  marched  in  a  compact  army  in  the  direction 
of  the  sea,  leaving  all  perfectly  bare  wherever 
their  legions  appeared.  They  were  indefatigable  ; 
climbed  trees,  scaled  walls,  entered  houses,  and 
appeared  to  spring  from  the  ground.  Meanwhile 
the  inhabitants  had  taken  measures  of  defence  ; 
they  dug  immense  trenches  around  the  gardens 


TO    THE   WILDERNESS.  177 

and  fields,  and  filled  them  with  water  to  several 
feet  in  depth.  Piles  of  fuel  had  been  prepared  to 
be  fired  on  the  arrival  of  the  destroying  column. 

It  came,  made  a  bridge  of  the  dead  by  which 
it  passed  the  ditches,  put  out  the  fires  by  delivering 
over  to  them  heaps  of  victims  to  be  consumed, 
and  continued  its  triumphant  course.  Other  bands 
followed  this  first  army,  then  still  more,  spreading 
around  them  misery,  famine,  and  death. 

Ha'ving  continued  for  a  month  this  aggressive 
and  persecuted  existence,  the  larvae  had  reached 
their  full  growth  and  become  perfect.  In  order 
to  perform  this  change  they  attached  themselves 
by  their  legs  to  a  branch,  or,  failing  that,  to  .any 
projecting  object,  and  shook  themselves  so  <0ften 
and  so  well  as  to  disentangle  themselves  of  their 
old  useless  skin.  This  laborious  task  lasted  from 
seven  to  eight  minutes,  and  was  followed  by  an 
almost  complete  prostration.  Nevertheless,  they 
might  be  seen  to  revive  as  soon  as  the  action  of 
the  sun  and  air  had  dried  their  wings,  to  shake 
their  antennae,  and  spring  forth  more  voracious 

H 


178  FROM   THE   MEADOW 

than  ever  with  fresh  powers  and  greater  activity. 
It  is  difficult  to  form  an  idea  of  the  swarms  of 
locusts  that  invaded  Africa  in  the  year  1797. 
An  English  naturalist,  Mr.  Barrow,  who  could 
judge  with  his  own  eyes,  reports  that  these 
insects  covered  an  area  of  country  two  thou- 
sand square  miles  in  extent.  The  current  of  a 
large  river  in  which  grew  some  reeds  was  entirely 
stopped  by  the  heaps  of  their  bodies.  Having 
mown  down  everything  in  the  neighbourhood, 
the  surviving  green  rushes  on  the  bank  had  excited 
their  desires,  and  they  perished  by  myriads  in 
trying  to  obtain  them. 

When  the  locusts  begin  on  a  field  of  corn,  they 
attack  the  ears  first,  and  pluck  out  grain  after 
grain  ;  then  they  devour  the  stalk,  afterwards  the 
leaves,  and  only  stop  when  they  come  down  to  the 
surface  of  the  ground.  Once  on  the  march,  these 
larvae  never  stop,  and  their  direction  is  determined 
by  that  of  the  wind.  At  sunset  the  immense 
army  halts  and  divides  into  small  detachments 
that  take  possession  of  plants,  of  tufts  of  grass,  ant- 


TO    THE    WILDERNESS. 


179 


180  FROM   THE    MEADOW 

hills,  and  stores,  and  pass  the  night  there.  Then  it  is 
that  attempts  are  made  to  destroy  them  by  driving 
great  flocks  of  sheep  over  the  spots  where  they 
are  encamped,  and  incredible  quantities  are  crushed. 

If  the  wind  brings  them,  the  storm  also  carries 
them  away.  Certain  coast  districts  of  Africa, 
where  they  multiplied  with  frightful  rapidity,  were 
delivered  in  this  manner.  A  current  of  air  from 
the  north-west  raised  them  in  compact  masses  and 
swept  them  into  the  sea.  Their  bodies  covered  the 
coast,  and  composed  a  bank  three  or  four  feet  high 
and  extending  nearly  fifty  miles.  Terrible  in  their 
lives,  they  were  yet  more  so  after  death,  and  for  a 
rtime  it  was  feared  that  the  plague  would  succeed 
'to  famine. 

loa  our  temperate  climates  the  grasshoppers  are 
not  animated  by  such  a  rabid  thirst  for  destruction. 
It  required  the  burning  emanations  of  a  tropical 
sun  and  the  acid  fire  of  the  desert  to  fling  them 
thus  on  nature.  Yet  at  times  the  locusts  do  unite 
in  bands  in  Italy.  They  commence  their  travels  at 
early  dawn  after  the  dew  is  dried  up.  Some  of 


TO    THE   WILDERNESS.  181 

them  spring  up  in  the  ranks,  awake  their  sleeping 
comrades,  and  seem  to  act  as  messengers.  Soon 
they  all  set  out  on  their  march,  all  in  the  same 
direction  and  without  great  deviations.  Though 
very  near  together  they  never  come  in  contact, 
and  travel  nearly  as  fast  as  a  fly  running  on  the 
ground  without  making  use  of  its  wings.  If  pur- 
sued or  attacked  on  the  march,  they  disperse,  to 
assemble  anew  a  little  further  off.  They  travel  thus 
till  evening  without  stopping,  advancing  about  nine 
feet  in  the  day.  Though  they  in  general  prefer  to 
follow  the  great  roads  and  beaten  paths,  when  they 
meet  with  brushwood,  hedges,  or  ditches,  they  do 
not  turn  from  their  way,  but  seek  to  surmount 
these  obstacles.  Marshes,  rivers,  or  canals  turn 
them  aside  to  take  another  direction,  unless  they 
manage  to  cross  them  on  a  bridge  of  reeds,  or  by 
making  use  of  the  bushy  branches  that  overhang 
the  water.  Towards  sunset  they  encamp,  like  their 
African  relatives.  They  do  not  move  during  rain, 
or  while  the  sky  is  cloudy.  When  their  wings  are 
developed  they  separate  a  little  from  each  other, 


182  FROM    MEADOW   TO   WILDERNESS. 

still,  however,  keeping  together  and  advancing  in 
numerous  swarms. 

Locusts  invaded  England  in  the  year  1748, 
but  without  breeding  there.  They  were  seen  also 
in  Poland  and  Lithuania,  where  they  appeared 
in  sufficient  numbers  to  darken  the  air.  Trees 
with  long  and  flexible  branches  bent  under  their 
weight.  Our  locusts,  with  their  erratic  and  dis- 
orderly habits,  were  sure  to  obtain  the  attention 
of  the  magistrates  ;  so  we  find  several  provisions 
that  concern  them.  The  jurisconsults  questioned  : 
What  if  a  farmer  by  contract  having  renounced 
making  any  kind  of  accident  a  plea  for  avoiding 
the  payment  of  his  rent,  should  see  his  harvest 
devoured  by  grasshoppers  ?  Should  he  bear  the 
loss,  or  the  landed  proprietor  be  charged  with  it  ? 
This  question  wa,s  the  subject  of  a  Latin  thesis  of 
Joachim  Hoppius  :  De  edaci  locustorum  pernicie, 
a  L.  Excepto  lempore  E.  Local,  et  conduct.  It 
may  be  discovered  in  some  old  libraries,  where  we 
will  let  it  repose  in  peace  until  such  time  as  our 
own  fields  be  mown  down  by  locusts. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

A    VINDICATION. 

IF  there  is  a  maligned,  calumniated,  slandered 
insect,  it  is  the  one  who  has  planted  her  home 
before  us,  under  a  stone  at  the  foot  of  the  great 
Pear-Tree,  at  a  very  short  distance  from  a  superb 
tuft  of  camomile. 

It  is  true  that  her  appearance  does  not  give 
a  favourable  impression.  Her  head  is  brown, 
corselet  flat  and  black,  with  paler  edges.  The 
wing-cases  are  very  short,  and  make  her  look 
like  a  man  who  has  lost  his  arms.  She  is  awk- 
ward, inelegant,  and  seems  only  to  have  stumps 


184  A   VINDICATION. 

for  wing-cases.  The  body  is  terminated  by  a 
long  pair  of  pincers,  of  hard  substance,  curved 
into  an  arch,  with  the  points  touching.  She  is 
known  by  the  significant  name  of  Forficula,  or 
Earwig.  If  she  comes  into  our  sight  when  going 
about  her  business,  she  usually  forfeits  her  life 
for  her  imprudence.  The  learned  have  taken  much 
pains  in  pleading  her  cause,  and  endeavouring  to 
convince  people  that  it  would  be  very  injurious 
to  the  Forficula  to  live  inside  a  skull,  all  the  more 
so  that  there  are  plenty  of  hot  brains  in  the 
world.  The  anatomists  have  made  common  cause 
with  naturalists,  and  borne  witness  to  the  im- 
possibility of  such  an  entrance  being  effected 
into  our  bony  case,  perfectly  closed  at  the  point 
of  the  ear ;  but  they  are  not  listened  to.  Ento- 
mologists, thinking  that  they  could  put  an  end  to 
the  question,  added  that  the  insect's  pincers  were 
not  strong  enough  to  produce  the  slightest  im- 
pression. Their  simplicity  is  derided. 

A  single  word  only  is  required  to  create  a  preju- 
dice ;  millions  may  be  spoken  without  confuting  it. 


A   VINDICATION.  185 

At  least  thus  much  justice  may  be  granted  to 
the  earwig,  as  to  allow  that  it  is  full  of  devotion 
to  its  larvae,  not  abandoning  them  till  they  are 
of  an  age  to  make  their  own  way  in  the  world. 
If  we  raise  the  stone  under  which  she  has  taken 
shelter,  we  shall  find  her  there  surrounded  by  her 
family.  She  only  robs  us  from  time  to  time 
of  some  fruit,  makes  a  hole  in  a  ripe  pear,  and 
buries  herself  in  it  like  an  open-mouthed  glutton. 
Open  fields  are  preferred  by  her,  wet  sand,  the 
margins  of  ponds,  and  shady  gardens.  Her  life 
is  peaceful,  calm,  and  rural ;  but  this  does  not 
prevent  her  being  considered  as  odious. 

Near  her  lives  one  of  her  relations,  having 
like  her  an  elongated  body,  filiform  antennae,  wings 
hidden  under  disproportionately  small  coverts,  and 
likewise  a  great  bull-dog  head,  with  jaws  pro- 
jecting to  right  and  left  in  a  most  menacing 
fashion.  It  is  the  great  black  Staphyllinus,*  of 
agile  limbs,  and  of  sharp,  teasing  temper.  He 
searches  for  decaying  animal  matter,  and  throws 

*  The  Devil's  Coach-horse. 


186  A   VINDICATION. 

himself  on  living  insects,  and  his  voracity  even 
induces  him  to  commit  Staphyllinophagy ;  that  is 
to  say,  to  eat  his  own  fellows. 

Yet  this  individual,  though  his  habits  are  sus- 
picious, does  not  excite  any  repugnance.  It  is 
true  that  he  raises  his  head  at  the  least  attack, 
brandishing  his  tail  as  if  he  had  a  terrible  sting 


in  it ;  while  the  poor  earwig,  if  it  falls  into  an 
ant-hill,  or  under  the  foot  of  man,  tries  to  escape 
at  its  utmost  speed,  without  having  an  idea  of 
making  use  of  those  famous  pincers  that  have  made 
her  so  many  enemies. 

Another  unfortunate,  more  abject  and  miserable 
still,  composed  of  rings  soldered  one  to  the  other, 


A   VINDICATION.  187 

with  naked  body,  shiny,  tapering  to  a  point  in 
front,  and  a  dweller  underground,  is  moving  a 
short  distance  off.  The  approach  of  a  mole  makes 
it  hastily  quit  its  obscure  hole ;  and  here  it  is 
crawling  through  the  grass,  turning  and  twisting 
as  if  suffering  from  a  spasm,  as  it  feels  the  warm 
rays  of  the  sun  upon  its  cold  skin.  It  is  the 
Lumbricus,  or  Earth-worm. 

It  hates  the  glare  of  day,  the  blue  sky,  and 
balmy  breeze.  What  it  likes  is  the  great  grey 
cloud  heavily  driving  over  the  horizon,  shedding 
torrents  of  rain  on  its  course,  washing  the  leaves 
and  moistening  the  branches,  distributing  all  around 
great  puddles  of  muddy  water.  Then  it  protrudes 
half  its  body  from  its  den,  raises  itself  painfully 
to  some  flower  bent  down  by  the  storm,  drags  it 
to  the  orifice  of  a  deep  hole  soiled  with  mire  and 
discoloured,  and  then  slowly  devours  it. 

Only  just  sufficient  for  this  are  its  organs 
The  first  segment  of  the  body  is  a  little  prolonged, 
and  answers  for  an  upper  lip.  The  next  ring  has 
a  border,  above  which  is  a  narrow  opening.  Such 


188  A   VINDICATION. 

is  the  mouth.  The  nervous  system  is  very  little 
developed,  and  consists  of  a  chain  of  very  small 
ganglions,  distributed  from  one  end  of  the  body 
to  the  other.  It  presents  hardly  any  individuality, 
and  each  one  unites  the  two  sexes.  The  eggs  are 
vesicles,  with  horny  shell,  oval  or  elongated. 

We  only  meet  it  with  a  gesture  of  repugnance, 
and  yet  this  wretched  earth-worm  is  beautiful,  if 
only  beauty  consists  in  the  perfect  harmony  of 
different  organs,  and  the  complete  adaptation  to 
the  medium  in  which  they  are  to  be  employed.  But 
how  can  we  get  this  definition  admitted,  especially 
among  painters  ?  Let  us  study  the  pictures  of  the 
greatest  masters,  and  what  shall  we  find  there  but 
that  each  one's  ideal  is  the  face  of  their  own  kind, 
chastened  by  thought,  embellished  by  fancy,  re- 
fined by  meditation  ?  The  earth-worm  must  be 
resigned  to  be  considered  ugly  till  it  too  gets 
knowledge  .how  to  wield  the  pencil  and  the  brush. 

It  has  both  already,  and  no  need  of  instru- 
ments. I  see  from  here,  thanks  to  my  double 
eight,  eight  stiff,  short-hooked  bristles  under  each 


A  VINDICATION.  189 

of  its  rings.  Their  direction  is  from  front  to  rear, 
and  at  the  top  of  each  is  a  pore.  They  are  em- 
ployed as  feet  for  want  of  better,  when  it  is  com- 
pelled to  quit  its  underground  gallery  and  seek 
adventures  on  the  high  road. 

If  new  proofs  were  wanted  of  the  injustice  of 
certain  generally-received  opinions,  we  should  find 
them,  and  in  plenty,  without  leaving  the  old  Pear- 
Tree.  There  is  one  of  its  population  that  children 
look  for  under  the  name  of  Lady-bird,  or  Lady- 
cow,  known  scientifically  by  the  appellation  of 
Coccinella, — a  round,  smooth,  brilliant,  lustrous 
bead,  adorned  with  a  black  head,  set  off  with  two 
little  white  spots.  Besides,  she  is  marked  with 
seven  dark  marks  disposed  triangularly,  and  fault- 
lessly regular.  Nothing  can  be  prettier,  and  one 
would  hesitate  to  do  the  least  harm  to  this  charm- 
ing little  thing,  so  exceedingly  well  enamelled.  It 
ought  to  live,  it  would  seem,  only  on  the  pollen 
of  flowers,  mingled  with  a  little  dew. 

We  must  not  trust  it.  Do  you  see  that  great 
grub,  long  and  grey,  bedaubed  with  black  and 


190 


A   VINDICATION. 


white,  crawling  among  the  plant  lice  and  tearing 
them  up  with  its  horny  jaws  ?  The  vital  juice 
flows  around  it  in  drops,  and  it  kills  whatever  it 
touches.  The  author  of  all  these  murders,  so  coolly 


perpetrated  all   along   her  track,  is   the   innocent 
Lady-bird  in  the  first  phase  of   her  existence. 

When  gorged   upon   the  swarming   population 
around   her  till   no   more   can   be  swallowed,  she 


A   VINDICATION. 


clings  to  a  leaf  with  the  end  of  her  tail,  an  er 
skin  stretches  like  the  cloth  of  a  bag  that  is  too 
full.  Gradually  the  circulation  in  it  becomes  less 
active,  and  this  outer  skin  stiffens,  and  forms  a 
species  of  cocoon,  whence  this  living  bead  at  last 
issues,  of  whom  people  say  that  she  must  be  re- 
spected as  never  having  done  harm  to  any  one. 

Poor  earwig  !  unfortunate  worm  !  why  have 
they  not  the  impertinence  of  the  Coach-horse,  or 
the  credit  of  the  Lady-bird  ?  Certainly  it  is  not 
from  man  that  they  have  learnt  the  lesson  of 
humility  and  modesty.  From  the  time  he  put  in  an 
appearance  here  below,  he  made  the  earth  that  he 
inhabits  the  centre  of  the  universe,  and  himself 
the  point  of  attraction  to  everything  in  this  world. 
Believe  him,  and  stones,  plants,  animals,  every- 
thing, have  only  been  created  with  a  view  to  his 
employment  of  them.  This  theory  still  numbers 
many  votaries,  and  would  be  pleasing  to  me  also 
did  not  some  facts  stand  in  singular  opposition 
to  it.  These  are  sometimes  embarrassing  ;  so  we 
will  pass  our  opinion  on  them. 


192  A   VINDICATION. 

It  is  not  to  be  denied  that  great  numbers  of 
insects  pillage  and  ravage  our  fields,  attack  us 
at  home  at  our  very  hearths,  and  cause  us  an 
immensity  of  damage.  They  perforate  our  fur- 
niture, wander  in  our  libraries,  make  nests  in 
wardrobes,  go  from  one  room  to  another,  and 
leave  everywhere  visible  traces  of  their  stay. 
They  devour  our  corn,  gnaw  our  fruit,  destroy 
the  plants  of  the  kitchen  garden,  disturb  our 
rest,  prick  us,  wound  us,  bite  us,  and  persecute 
us  in  a  thousand  ways. 

Indeed  it  must  be  confessed  that  these  are 
strange  sort  of  auxiliaries,  and  their  ways  would 
excite  reflection  did  not  the  ingenuity  of  man 
find  an  answer  for  all. 

It  says  :  "  They  have  received  life  in  order 
to  punish  us  for  our  crimes,  and  are  employed 
by  Heaven  to  scourge  our  vices." 

This  explanation  is  good,  but  I  prefer  another 
that  I  owe  to  a  flight  of  birds  that  alighted  on 
my  old  tree  with  ever-moving  wings  and  un- 
closed beak.  This  troop,  which  had  assembled 


A   VINDICATION. 


193 


194  A    VINDICATION. 

to  pursue  some  late  flying  owl,  comprised  titmice, 
chaffinches,  hedge  sparrows,  and  even  linnets. 

All  these  birds  twittered,  whistled,  and  sang, 
in  different  tongues.  Each  one  had  his  favourite 
notes,  his  peculiar  scale,  and  his  own  warble. 
Some  strung  together  two  or  three  sharp  and 
shrill  notes  without  pretension  ;  others  rose  on 
their  little  legs  and  made  a  display  of  rolling 
trills. 

And  -strange  it  was  that  the  difference  of  all 
these  tones  raised  at  once  over  the  mead  was  not 
at  all  disagreeable.  They  .melted  one  into  the 
other,  and  constituted  an  indefinable  harmony, 
rather  \vague,  but  full  of  charm. 

And  'hearing  them,  I  said  :  "  There  are  in 
this  world  beings  of  all  kinds,  unequal  in  power 
and  intelligence,  according  as  more  or  less 
deeply  penetrated  by  divine  breath.  They  have  a 
common  bond  in  their  origin,  and  obey  the  same 
general  laws.  They  are  frequently  in  accordance, 
they  are  constantly  in  connexion,  but  all  have 
their  individual  destiny,  their  own  development, 


A   VINDICATION.  195 

and  peculiar  transformations.  One  has  not  been 
created  for  another,  and  none  of  them,  not  even 
man,  is  a  centre  of  light  and  heat.  The  sun 
that  lights  and  warms  them,  the  real  source  of 
life,  blazes  far  from  them  all  above  their  heads 
in  the  immeasurable  height  of  the  skies.  Our 
philosophers  and  sages,  stammering  in  the  lan- 
guage of  truth,  have  modelled  creation  at  the  will 
of  their  conceit ;  but  fruitful  mother  Nature  re- 
veals to  them  another  principle,  based  on  love, 
the  undefined  striving  of  beings  for  perfection, 
the  constant  aspiration  of  all  that  exists  towards 
a  better  state.  In  varied  forms,  sthas  aspiration 
increases  ,as  it  ascends  in  the  scale,  till  at  last 
it  loses  itself  where  our  gaze  cannot  follow  it, 
in  that  Infinite  Supreme  Eternal  Unity,  before 
whom  the  intellect  of  man  is  nothing  but  un- 
certainty and  confusion." 

So  let  us  forgive  the  earth-worm's  disagreeable 
appearance  and  the  lady-bird's  sanguinary  customs. 

Besides,    the    latter    is    really   charming,    and 
seems   like    a   waif    from   a    jeweller's    workshop. 

0  2 


196  A   VINDICATION. 

Some  of  them  are  red,  with  two  great  white 
marks  on  the  sides :  these  are  found  on  the  alder ; 
some  scarlet,  with  five  black  round  spots  ;  others 
again  in  scarlet  clothing,  but  with  a  yellow  corselet 
and  marked  with  thirteen  black  dots :  these  last 
live  on  the  wych-elm.  One  of  the  largest,  the 
Coccinella  Argus,  is  all  red  below  as  well  as  above, 
head  and  breast  of  one  same  colour.  On  each 
wing-cover  may  be  seen  five  dark  spots,  both  sides 
exactly  alike,  and  there  is  an  eleventh  at  the 
junction  of  the  wings.  These  spots  are  round 
and  black,  with  a  yellow  rim,  different  from  the 
colour  of  the  wing-cases,  and  look  like  so  many 
ever  open  eyes  disposed  over  the  creature's  whole 
body. 

It  may  be  supposed  that  this  brilliant  per- 
sonage is  somewhat  scarce,  and  does  not  often 
favour  us  with  her  presence.  She  lives  on  bushes 
in  the  open  country  where  the  air  is  good  and 
plant-lice  fat  and  numerous. 

A.  striped  and  very  pretty  Coccinella  is  found 
on  flowers,  but  yet  less  curious  than  another 


A   VINDICATION.  197 

variety  of  the  same  family  also  an  inhabitant 
of  flowers.  This  has  a  real  chessboard  on  its 
back.  We  should  never  finish  if  we  tried  to 
describe  all  that  there  are  in  collections. 

There  are  lady-birds  gilded  and  silvered,  and 
purple,  striped  with  these  different  hues.  Indeed, 
some  of  them  are  shaggy  and  crossed  by  two 
great  red  bands.  I  have  seen  some  that  crawled 
on  branches  like  little  tortoises  on  earth,  with 
a  sharp  projecting  margin  all  round  their  wing- 
covers.  Nature  is  prodigal,  inexhaustible,  and 
never  counts  the  jewels  in  her  casket. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE    OBSEQUIES    OF   A   FIELD   MOUSE. 

EVERY  one  knows  the  town  rat,  that  impudent 
guest  always  ready  to  hold  festival  at  another's 
table,  and  who  even  has  the  hardihood  to  invite 
some  of  his  long-moustached  friends  who,  like 
himself,  may  be  moving  about  in  search  of  food 
at  night,  with  the  stomach  more  active  than  the 
conscience.  The  country  rat  is  also  possessed  of 
a  certain  notoriety,  thanks  to  La  Fontaine.  Some- 
times he  is  found  in  farms  sleeping  on  bundles 
of  straw  like  a  real  vagabond,  constantly  hunted 
by  the  cats,  those  volunteer  members  of  the  rural 


THE   OBSEQUIES    OF   A   FIELD   MOUSE. 


199 


police.  Both  of  them,  the  town  rat  and  the 
country  rat,  are  of  very  marked  style,  to  which 
Callot  has  done  justice. 


They   are   mendicants,  and   well   contented    so 
to  be.     Such  is  not  their  cousin  the  field  mouse, 


200 


THE    OBSEQUIES    OF 


whose  curious  history  came  to  my  knowledge   in 
my  meadow. 

The   cousin   in    question   is    of    small    stature, 


and  does  not  measure  much  more  than  three 
inches  from  the  tip  of  his  nose  to  the  root  of 
his  tail.  His  head  is  large,  nibbler  that  he  is, 


A    FIELD   MOUSE.  201 

and  his  muzzle  blunt.  His  cutting  teeth  are 
very  yellow,  and  as  for  his  molars,  they  have  a 
fla,t  crown  furrowed  transversely  on  it  very  much 
like  those  of  the  elephant.  His  ear  is  small,  a 
mark  of  good  birth,  and  is  well  clothed  in  fur. 
The  eyes  project  and  are  very  sharp,  and  the 
tail  is  in  part  without  fur.  The  upper  part  of 
the  body  is  a  mingled  tint  of  brown  and  black, 
the  stomach  of  a  very  dark  ash-coloured  grey. 

Our  field  mouse,  far  from  passing  a  miserable 
existence  like  his  congeners,  always  finds  means 
of  living  in  opulence.  In  the  month  of  August, 
when  the  ears  of  corn  ripen  and  cover  the  plain 
afar  with  golden  masses,  he  scampers  before  the 
labourer,  cuts  the  wheat-stalks,  gnaws  the  fattest 
grains,  and  so  takes  his  tithe  of  the  harvest. 
Later  he  mixes  with  the  gleaners,  and  knows 
better  than  they  how  to  swell  his  sheaf.  When 
the  land  is  bared,  and  there  are  nothing  but  lean 
pipes  of  stubble  to  be  found,  he  moves  a  few  steps 
away  to  newly-sown  fields.  What  a  treasure 
is  a  rich  furrow  fall  of  grain  left  free  to  his 


202  THE    OBSEQUIES   OF 

appetite !  If  this  resource  fails,  lie  goes  into  en- 
closed meads  to  destroy  the  roots  of  grass  and 
plants,  or  pays  a  visit  to  gardens  and  orchards. 
In  winter,  when  driven  by  the  snow  from  open 
fields,  he  frequents  the  woods  full  of  acorns  and 
beech-nuts.  In  time  of  absolute  fast  his  measures 
are  soon  taken,  for  he  falls  upon  the  weakest  of  his 
neighbours,  were  it  even  on  another  field  mouse, 
tearing  him  to  pieces  and  eating  him  up. 

This  is  what  is  called  bending  to  circum- 
stances and  knowing  what  one  is  about !  Who 
would  not  wish  to  be  a  field  mouse,  even  though 
naturally  a  bit  of  a  rat  already. 

To  great  activity  in  destruction  and  much 
agility,  the  cunning  creature  adds  the  disastrous 
quality  of  multiplying  prodigiously.  He  and  his 
family  sometimes  establish  considerable  colonies, 
extending  in  a  short  time  over  several  square 
leagues.  The  female  brings  forth  twice  a  year 
in  our  climate,  in  spring  and  summer,  ten  or 
twelve  little  ones.  Farther  north,  where  the  pine 
takes  the  place  of  oak  and  beech,  its  fecundity 


A    FIELD   MOUSE.  203 

is  not  so  great,  and  only  displayed  once  a  year, 
during  the  last  days  of  April. 

The  field  mouse  makes  for  himself  under- 
ground retreats,  whither  he  flies  at  the  smallest 
sign  of  danger,  like  the  classical  brigands  of  Spain 
or  Italy.  These  retreats  serve  him  at  once  as 
abode  and  storehouse.  They  are  not  very  spacious, 
it  is  true,  nor  burrowed  very  deeply  into  the 
earth,  but  yet  they  provide  a  secure  retreat,  and 
are  generally  divided  into  two  or  three  chambers. 
The  galleries  occupied  by  different  families  are 
not  contiguous ;  between  tten  a  greater  or  less 
space  always  remains.  If  the  occupants  of  these 
underground  chambers  leave  them  or  die,  no 
others  take  up  their  abode  there.  New  comers 
prefer  to  work  for  themselves  further  off  for 
their  own  use,  and  despise  the  labours  of  another. 
None  of  them  generally  dig  deeper  than  six 
inches  or  a  foot,  but  often  the  females,  before 
producing  their  young,  prolong  the  excavation  to 
even  two  feet  deep,  by  a  gallery,  hardly  an  inch 
in  size,  that  after  several  windings  opens  on  a 


204  THE    OBSEQUIES    OF 

kind  of  chamber  provided  with  a  soft  lining  of 
dry  grass  ;  and  on  this  downy  couch  the  brood 
are  born. 

The  stout  farmer,  joint  owner  of  my  meadow, 
had  declared  war  to  the  death  against  all  this 
race,  harshly  calling  them  vermin.  He  had  been 
told  that  leaves  of  alder  spread  on  the  field  and 
ploughed  in  would  drive  away  the  field  mice, 
and  had  tried  it  :  a  useless  labour,  for  next  year 
his  enemies  were  more  numerous  than  ever. 
Exasperated  by  want  of  success,  he  sowed  in 
his  orchard  and  on  his  land  a  quantity  of  oats 
steeped  in  a  solution  of  arsenic.  '  This  method 
answered  indeed  only  too  well,  for  many  fowls, 
and  the  best  of  layers,  were  killed  as  well  as  our 
indefatigable  devourers.  This  was  no  true  suc- 
cess for  our  friend  :  though  victorious,  he  paid  the 
expenses  of  the  war.  So  he  changed  his  tactics, 
took  spurge-laurel  (Daphne  tliymelcea),  which  is 
poisonous  only  to  certain  animals,  pounded  it  in 
a  mortar  to  extract  the  juice,  soaked  grains  of 
corn  in  it,  and  distributed  them  under  bits  of 


A    FIELD    MOUSE. 


205 


206  THE    OBSEQUIES    OF 

tile  which  he  placed  about  in  the  fields.  This 
time  his  triumph  was  complete :  a  swarm  of  field 
mice  perished  in  mortal  convulsions,  and  one  of 
them  who  had  been  used  to  come  regularly  for 
three  years  to  eat  the  peas  in  my  meadow,  was 
there  panting  before  my  eyes,  ready  to  yield  up  his 
last  breath.  I  was  a  witness  to  his  final  struggle, 
and  saw  him  gradually  grow  fixed  into  that 
icy,  immovable  rigidity  which  is  the  companion 
of  death. 

There  he  was,  by  the  side  of  the  Pear-Tree 
where  he  had  before  passed  such  pleasant  hours, 
upside  down  on  the  saoad,  with  his  feet  in  the  air, 
muzzle  .contracted,  and  glassy  eye.  I  expected  to 
see  a  legion  of  ants  .arrive — those  fellows  who  are 
so  clever  at  cutting  up  a  body  and  laying  the 
skeleton  bare  without  dislocating  a  joint,  when 
a  strange  sound  rang  around  me,  grave  and  pro- 
longed like  the  great  bell  of  Notre  Dame.  An 
insect  had  just  passed  about  an  inch  from  my 
ear  and  pitched  down  on  the  field  mouse. 

It  was  a  little  smaller  than  a  dung-beetle,  but 


A   FIELD   MOUSE.  207 

longer  and  much  more  active.  As  for  his  attire, 
it  was  in  complete  conformity  with  his  business  : 
head,  body,  and  corselet  black,  with  some  yellow 
hairs  on  them ;  wing-cases  or  upper  wings 
divided  by  two  yellow  cross  bands  with  broken 
outlines ;  curious  antennae,  with  a  reddish  mass  at 
the  end  formed  of  four  small  plates  ranged  on 
one  another  by  the  middle,  and  the  last  was 
thicker,  and  in  the  shape  of  a  little  irregular 
pointed  button.  In  a  word,  he  wore  the  true 
garb  of  a  fashionable  undertaker,  grave,  dark, 
and  handsome. 

The  field  mouse  had  no  -cause  for  complaints  of 
anybody  but  his  enemy  the  stout  farmer.  Nature 
sent  him,  as  soon  as  his  decease  was  duly  regis- 
tered, a  gravedigger  with  good  large  legs,  skilful 
in  excavating  ground,  and  carrying  all  his  topis 
with  him  to  finish  the  job  as  soon  as  possible. 
The  Necropliorus  vespillo — for  so  is  this  curious 
individual  named — does  not  work,  however,  with- 
out pay.  He  has  some  eggs  to  lay  before  he 
himself  passes  from  life  to  death,  and  proposes  to 


208  THE    OBSEQUIES    OF 

bury  them  with  the  body.  Flesh-feeding  larvae 
will  spring  from  them,  and  they  will  perform 
after  several  metamorphoses  the  duties  first  per- 
formed for  them.  Behold  our  burying  beetle 
taking  a  tour  round  the  field  mouse,  inspecting  the 
field  of  operations,  and  finding  the  earth  friable, 
light,  and  but  little  hardened.  Could  there  be  any- 
thing easier  for  an  experienced  gravedigger  than 
to  make  a  hole  in  it  ?  But  how  transport  the 
body  to  it  when,  made  ?  It  was  clear  enough 
that  the  power  of  the  burying  beetle  was  not 
sufficient.  "Without  being  a  Goliath,  or  even  a 
David,  a  field  mouse  weighs  something,  and  our 
undertaker  has  not  much  more  than  good-will. 
No,  I  am  wrong ;  he  is  endued  with  a  marvellous 
instinct. 

Having  finished  his  inspection,  he  stops  a 
moment  to  take  time  to  reflect.  During  this 
interval  we  observe  a  special  peculiarity — the 
massive,  square,  powerful  form  of  his  corselet. 
Doubtless  there  is  good  reason  for  it,  for  this  is 
what  enables  the  insect  to  push  its  head  under 


A    FIELD   MOUSE. 


209 


210  THE    OBSEQUIES    OF 

the  mouse,  slightly  raising  it,  and  to  slip  between 
the   body   and   the  surface   of  the   ground   so   as 
nearly  to  disappear  from  our  eyes.     He  stops  there 
for   a   long  time,  and  we  begin   to    lose  patience. 
What  can  he  be  doing  in  this  inconvenient  posi- 
tion, crushed   under   a   weight   disproportioned    to 
his  strength  ?     Does  he  wish  to  try  to  carry  the 
rodent,  in  spite  of  the  evident  folly  of  the  attempt  ? 
No,  he  does   not  even   dream  of  it.     He   has 
just  simply  excavated  the  ground  under  the  field 
mouse,  and  it  sinks  slowly  but  with  steady  pro- 
gress  into   the   moving  sand.     I    still    distinguish 
his  muzzle,  with  his  ornaments  of  long  grey  mous- 
taches ;   then  it  sinks,  and  shows  itself  in  profile, 
gets  smaller,   and  disappears  for  ever ;    very  soon 
the   feet   alone   of  the    dead  animal   project  from 
the  surface  of  the  meadow;    they  sink  and  sink, 
and   are  in  their  turn  covered ;  the  object  of  the 
Necropborus  is  attained ;    now  its  larvae   have  an 
asylum  and  a  provision  of  victuals. 

A  foreign  naturalist,  M.   Gleditsch,   has  given 
some   interesting   details   of  the   industry  of  this 


A   FIELD   MOUSE.  211 

gravedigger.  Going  one  day  in  pursuit  of  them, 
he  caught  four,  and  put  them  in  a  great  glass 
globe  half  filled  with  earth  and  carefully  closed. 
Then  he  put  in  two  dead  frogs.  In  a  very  little 
time  one  of  the  two  frogs  had  been  interred  by 
the  Necrophori.  Meanwhile  their  companions  in 
captivity  wandered  round  the  walls  of  the  vase 
trying  to  escape,  but  finding  none  resigned  them- 
selves to  their  fate  and  buried  the  other  frog. 
Then  he  gave  them  the  body  of  a  linnet.  A  pair 
of  our  grave  diggers  at  once  set  to  work  re- 
moving the  ground  beneath  the  bird's  body,  and 
dragging  it  by  the  feathers  so  as  to  make  it  go 
down  quicker.  The  male  Necrophorus  ended  by 
working  at  it  alone  for  five  hours.  From  time 
to  time  he  came  out  of  the  pit,  climbed  upon  the 
linnet,  pushed  it,  and  returned  to  his  hole  as  quick 
as  possible  so  as  not  to  lose  a  minute. 

But  at  last  even  he  was  tired,  and  found  that 
he  must  take  some  repose.  He  returned  above 
ground,  and,  placing  his  head  on  the  ground  by 
the  side  of  the  body,  remained  motionless  for  an 

P2 


212  THE   OBSEQUIES    OF   A   FIELD   MOUSE. 

hour,  without  even  moving  the  tips  of  his  antennae. 
When  his  strength  was  renewed,  he  recommenced 
his  digging  operations  with  fresh  courage.  By 
next  morning  the  linnet  had  sunk  an  inch  and 
a  half,  and  was  quite  surrounded  by  earth ;  by 
evening  the  excavator  had  got  it  down  half  an 
inch  more,  and  by  the  next  day  the  bird  had 
entirely  disappeared.  M.  Gleditsch  continued  to 
give  them  small  dead  animals,  which  were  buried 
one  after  the  other.  He  found  at  last  by  the 
end  of  the  fiftieth  day  that  the  four  Necrophori 
had  buried  in  the  small  space  that  they  possessed, 
four  frogs,  three  birds,  two  fish,  a  mole,  and  two 
grasshoppers,  besides  the  entrails  of  another  fish 
and  two  pieces  of  ox  lung.  Until  further  ex- 
periments of  the  same  kind  be  made,  it  may  be 
taken  as  a  fact  that  one  Necrophorus  alone  can 
in  two  days  bury  a  body  equal  to  forty  times 
his  own  weight. 

And  here  was  I  who  thought  before  I  studied 
my  breviary  that  work  was  man's  privilege 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

CONCLUSION. 

HOURS  passed  on,  and  I  went  on  sleeping,  happy 
in  escaping  the  requirements  of  what  is  called  the 
world.  "What  things  had  I  not  seen  in  these  great 
enclosures  ?  Being  rose  upon  being,  and  one  exist- 
ence fluttered  forward  in  another.  Everywhere  had 
I  been  witness  of  the  presence  of  life,  its  struggles, 
and  feverish  activity.  It  could  be  perceived  in  the 
grass,  on  the  leaves,  on  the  surface  of  the  earth, 
underground,  in  the  midst  of  the  air.  Its  powerful 
breath  made  everything  fruitful,  warmed  the  veins 
of  millions  of  creatures,  disintegrated  even  the  stones 
themselves,  and  dragged  them  out  of  their  inertia. 


214  .  .  .    v  .  '    CONCLUSION. 

How  long  could  I  have  continued  thus  a  sleep 
full  of  revelations,  so  absorbed  in  the  beautiful 
picture  unrolling  before  my  eyes,  respectfully 
spelling  out  the  hieroglyphic  characters  of  the 
great  book  of  creation  \ 

I  cannot  tell.  A  hundred  years,  perhaps,  like 
that  good  monk  of  the  Middle  Ages,  with  mind 
enraptured  among  the  glories  of  the  heaven,  who 
awoke  with  his  beard  white  and  his  limbs  failing 
from  age.  Time  in  reality  is  nothing  at  all,  except 
as  the  stuff  of  which  our  existence  is  composed— 
so  short,  alas,  so  ephemeral !  In  absolute  truth, 
there  is  no  such  thing  as  time  ;  the  Infinite  has 
no  limits  ;  within  it  are  unknown  the  landmarks 
that  we  so  ingeniously  place  on  our  way  as 
we  pass  to  measure  the  surface.  All  that  I  can 
answer  for  is,  that  a  very  natural  occurrence  put 
an  end  to  my  reveries. 

At  the  very  moment  when  the  burying  beetle 
was  casting  his  last  shovelful  of  earth  on  the 
stiffened  body  of  the  field  mouse,  a  man  took  hold 
of  my  arm  and 'shook  me  violently.  I  sprang  up 


CONCLUSION. 

immediately  in  amazement,  and  I 

never  shall  I  forget  what  was  before  my  eyes. 

Before  me  stood  the  most  curious-looking  per- 
sonage imaginable.  I  have  said  it  was  a  man, 
but  any  one  might  have  made  a  journey  from  Pekin 
to  Paris  without  find  ing  even  among  china  curiosities 
such  a  fantastic  specimen  of  our  race.  He  had  on 
a  maroon,  coat,  with  enormous  pockets,  and  imple- 
ments of  all  kinds  sticking  out  of  them.  He  held 
a  butterfly-net  in  his  hand,  a  magnifying-glass 
hung  from  his  neck,  and  his  waistcoat  was  covered 
with  long  pins.  A  swarm  of  beetles  ornamented 
his  hat,  pinned  all  about  in  the  felt. 

He  said  to  me :  "  Sir,  I  believe  I  am  doing 
right  in  telling  you  that  there  is  going  to  be 
a  storm.  And  we  have  only  just  time  to  run  to 
the  farm." 

It  was  so  indeed.  The  sky,  which  had  been 
azure  blue  when  I  entered  on  the  meadow,  had 
gradually  darkened  and  at  last  become  covered  by 
great  heavy  clouds.  Some  paler  streaks  of  vapour 
of  irregular  shape  were  displayed  upon  this  dark 


CONCLUSION 


-±.,    l.t,'J  + 


CONCLUSION.  217 

background,  and  slowly  advanced  towards  the 
meadow  from  two  opposite  directions.  They  might 
have  been  compared  to  little  ships  with  white  sails, 
sailing  in  an  ocean  of  shadows,  and  rushing  into 
collision  with  one  another  stem  to  stem  to  fight  by 
the  board.  Around  us  reigned  a  perfect  calm.  The 
air  was  heavy,  sultry,  and  we  had  some  difficulty  in 
breathing.  Some  birds  crossed  the  plain  with  shrill 
cries  and  disappeared  among  the  bushes.  Soon  the 
leaves  clashed  together  like  so  many  little  battledores 
moved  by  invisible  hands.  A  light  wind  arose  and 
shook  the  grass,  increased  as  it  got  nearer  the  trees 
standing  on  the  slopes,  and  rocked  them  violently. 
Some  large  heavy  drops  of  rain  fell  around  us  with  a 
splash-  then  a  long  roll  of  thunder  echoing  noisily 
made  my  companion  and  myself  both  quicken  our 
steps  towards  the  houses.  As  I  walked  I  cast  a 
last  glance  towards  my  meadow ;  I  could  no  longer 
see  its  thousand  details,  its  tufted  vegetation,  and 
mysterious  inhabitants,  but  only  its  broad  outlines 
altered  by  the  effect  of  the  storm,  and,  as  a  horizon, 
the  sky  ploughed  up  by  lightning. 


218  CONCLUSION. 

The  new  comer  and  I  conversed  as  we  passed 
up  the  valley.  He  was  a  distinguished  but  ori- 
ginal entomologist,  who  only  employed  himself  on 
one  class  of  Coleoptera,  the  Buprestidse.  He  had 
made  a  monograph  of  them,  from  the  anatomical, 
organic,  and  historical  points  of  view,  and  at  his 
house  possessed  nearly  all  the  varieties  of  them,  in 
a  cabinet  ticketed  with  care,  with  their  legs 
symmetrically  extended,  antennae  regularly  placed, 
with  their  names,  surnames,  and  distinguishing 
markn, 

I  spoke  to  him  of  my  recent  initiation  into  the 
inner  mysteries  of  nature,  the  spectacles  I  had  been 
witness  of,  the  marvels  of  the  instinct  of  the  crea- 
tures, and  their  singular  manners. 

"  How  much  poetry,"  said  I  to  him,  "what  beau- 
ties are  there  not  beneath  the  tufts  of  wild  plants  we 
carelessly  tread  under  foot !  How  much  is  to  be 
learnt  from  these  various  pictures  of  the  life  of  the 
smallest  of  creatures  !  The  story  of  the  population 
of  an  old  Pear-Tree,  simply  written  currents  calamo, 
would  itself  alone  furnish  a  great  deal  of  interest." 


CONCLUSION.  219 

The  collector  looked  at  me,  winking  his  eyes 

and  slightly  shrugging  his  shoulders,  and  said  to  me  : 

"All    this   is   not    science.        Insects    are    not 


subjects  for  mere  gossip,  especially  the  JBuprestidce. 
If  a  man  has  any  pretensions  to  do  the  work  well, 
he  must  begin  by  making  out  a  catalogue  of  them 


220  CONCLUSION. 

and  carefully  detailing  them  in  official  language. 
Scientific  terms  must  never  be  neglected,  but  rather 
freely  used  as  tokens  of  depth.  As  for  the  habits 
of  animals,  it  is  more  suitable  to  describe  them 
soberly,  and  by  preference  rather  in  a  concise  and 
dry  than  in  an  amusing  manner.  The  gate  of 
the  Temple  of  Wisdom  ought  to  remain  closed 
against  those  who  have  not  energy  enough  to  knock 
long  at  it  to  compel  it  to  open  to  them." 

"  But,"  answered  I,  rather  vexed  with  this 
dogmatic  speech,  "  I  would  wish  you  to  remark  that 
there  is  interest  in  the  thousand  and  one  exempli- 
fications of  human  life.  People  do  not  confine 
themselves  to  studying  the  material  mechanism,  but 
proceed  also  to  inquire  into  it  from  the  psycho- 
logical point  of  view." 

"  No  doubt,"  said  he ;  "  no  doubt.  So  I  have 
often  been  pleased  with  reading  romances." 

"And  why  should  not  the  insect,"  I  went  on, 
pursuing  my  argument,  "  the  elder  born  in  creation, 
have,  like  man,  not  his  romance — I  do  not  ask  so 
much — but  his  true  history?" 


CONCLUSION. 


a. 


"What  is  your  object?"  lie  replied,  learnedly 
raising  his  forefinger  to  the  point  of  his  nose,  which 
was  remarkably  long,  sharp,  and  inquisitive. 

Said  I  to  him,  with  the  deepest  obeisance  :  "  To 
make  nature  beloved,  and  thus  render  the  approach 
to  science  the  easier." 

These  words  made  him  thoughtful.  We  hurried 
to  the  farm,  and  when  we  got  there  concluded  a 
holy  alliance  and  pressed  each  other's  hands  with 
cordiality. 

"  I  was  wrong,"  he  said  to  me  ;  "  there  are  never 
too  many  workers  in  the  Vineyard  of  Our  Lord/' 


LuKDON : 

R.   OLAY,   SONS,   AND  TAYLOR,    1'RINTKRS, 
BREAD   STREET   HILL. 


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